 | « Back to article | Print this article |
With the Lashkar-e-Tayiba taking a back seat as far as India operations are concerned for the time being, it looks like dreaded terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami -- which operates primarily out of Bangladesh -- is planning on taking the centre stage.
The recent threat by the to bomb the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi points to this dangerous shift in the outfit's focus.
Sources in the Intelligence Bureau told rediff.com that the HuJI has always been looking to dominate in India.
The original plan by the ISI was to keep India on tenterhooks from both sides, ie Pakistan and Bangladesh. While the Pakistan border was to be controlled by Lashkar cadres, the border along Bangladesh was considered to be HuJI's domain.
According to an Intelligence Bureau dossier, the outfit's activities have been increasing -- the recruitment is at an all time high.
As per records, at least 150 youth from West Bengal have gone missing. Investigations have revealed that these youth were picked up by HuJI cadres and are being trained to launch operations against India.
The IB claims that the outfit has been offering between 20-25 lakh rupees to families of youths willing to join the outfit. Members of the outfit's sleeper cells are being paid Rs 10,000 per month.
However, an interesting point that the intelligence agencies are making is that the kind of terror that HuJI is looking to launch would be different in nature.
HuJI is known to specialize in abduction of high-profile individuals. The agenda: Holding the state to ransom.
India and Bangladesh have somewhat managed to shackle the HuJI by cracking down on the outfit's counterfiet currency racket
As per IB intercepts, the HuJI is looking to set up more sleeper cells in the nothern India before heading down south. Two control centres are in operation in Bangladesh exclusively to monitor the operations in India. These centres have been set up to train the youth from India. They will be sent back across the border on completion of training.
Following a Home ministry alert regarding these developments, security agencies have already started to monitor the youth who have returned to India from Bangladesh.