Jammu and Kashmir Police cracking down on ‘white-collar jihadis’

Srinagar, August 29

The Jammu and Kashmir Police are cracking down on cyber terrorists, also known as “white-collar jihadis”, as cops feel that they are the “worst kind of terrorists” who remain anonymous but cause an “immeasurable” amount of damage and brainwashing of youngsters, officials said here.

According to an assessment provided by Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh, senior Army officers and officials from the security establishment, there is a fear that these “white-collar jihadis” could trigger a communal clash or influence some youths by manipulating news on social media while they themselves live comfortably in faraway countries.

The battleground is new where conventional weaponry and the fighting zones of a warren of narrow streets and forests are replaced by computers and smartphones to wage war from just about anywhere — in Kashmir or outside, safe inside their homes or out on the streets, from a nearby café or even just a convenient roadside.

A senior Army officer termed them “white-collar jihadis” who mislead the youth and general population by peddling lies on social media and twisting the situation to suit the separatists or terrorist groups.

The police recently arrested five suspected “white-collar jihadis”, who were behind a campaign to spread falsehood about the sovereignty of the country.

They, according to the police, were tasked with preparing a strategic hit list of government officers, journalists, social activists, lawyers and political functionaries to instil fear among people.

“A cyber terrorist is actually deadlier than an actual terrorist because first, he is in hiding and second, he is absolutely unknown — unknown till you get into certain very specific details,” DGP Singh said.

Singh has been laying emphasis on putting a check on cyber terrorists as he feels that they are the “worst kind of terrorists”. He says they are the people who are responsible for recruitment, they are the ones who would make comments on social media. — PTI

Eye on cyber crime

The J&K Police have started registration of private citizens as volunteers to police the internet and report suspected cyber crimes to the government. The initiative launched in February provides for three categories of volunteers — ‘Unlawful Content Flaggers’, ‘Cyber Awareness Promoters’ and ‘Cyber Experts’.

5 suspects held

• The police recently arrested five suspected ‘white-collar jihadis’, who were behind a campaign to spread falsehood about the sovereignty of the country
• They were tasked with preparing a hit list of officers, journalists, social activists, lawyers and political functionaries to instil fear among people