Uttarakhand STF Deploys 'Cyber Commandos' To Address, Eliminate Threats From Pakistan

Dehradun: In separate operations over the last two months, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested five suspects with links to Pakistan.

Two of the four suspects, including a woman, are residents of Uttarakhand. All the accused had connections with Pakistani gangsters and other individuals.

Preliminary investigations by the Uttarakhand Police have revealed that terrorist organizations based in Pakistan and Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), are conspiring to establish a terrorist network in Uttarakhand through social media, following which the state's STF has deployed cyber commandos to monitor the situation.

In fact, recently, the Uttar Pradesh STF arrested four suspects from Saharanpur district, accused of operating as a sleeper cell for Pakistani gangsters in India. One of these four was a resident of Haridwar district in Uttarakhand.

In addition, the Jammu and Kashmir police also raided the residence of a lady teacher in Roorkee, Haridwar district. The teacher was also found to have connections with Pakistan. She was working in Uttarakhand at the behest of individuals based in Pakistan and transferring money to individuals in the neighbouring country through various channels. The accused was arrested and taken to Jammu and Kashmir for further investigation.

Following the emergence of such cases, the Uttarakhand Police and Special Task Force (STF) launched their own investigation. The STF's investigation revealed that the suspects were in contact with Pakistan-backed terrorist organizations and foreign handlers and were attempting to influence youth and establish networks through social media platforms. A conspiracy to establish a terrorist network in Uttarakhand was also revealed, prompting security agencies to become vigilant.

Security agencies' investigations have revealed that the accused were in contact with terrorists and ISI agents across the border through Instagram, video calls, and other social media applications. Investigating agencies have found digital evidence that strengthens their suspicion of links to Pakistan. Security agencies' investigation also revealed that Vikrant, a suspect arrested in Dehradun, was promoting the organization by writing "Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan" (TTH). The agencies are investigating who else was in contact with him.

STF SSP Ajay Singh stated that anti-national activities on social media have increased recently. "Terrorists mislead youth and involve them in various forms of jihad. The investigation has uncovered an ISI module that was engaging youth on social media. They had CCTV cameras installed at various locations, where handlers in Pakistan could easily monitor them. Furthermore, trans-border activity through social media has increased significantly, leading to the deployment of cyber commandos to monitor them," he said.

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