J&K Police Bust Attempt To Revive Banned Kashmiri Women Terror Group

The J&K Police's Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) uncovered a major linkage between the terror outfit JeM and the banned women terror group Dukhtaran-e-Millat during raids at multiple locations in the Valley on Tuesday, sources have told NDTV. 

Dukhtaran-e-Millat was headed by Asiya Andrabi, who was arrested in 2018.

These searches were part of an ongoing crackdown against social media abusers operating in connivance with handlers across the border, who have been deliberately engaged in furthering terrorist, secessionist, and separatist agendas, NDTV has learnt.

The raids, sources said, were carried out at multiple locations in Kashmir, including Srinagar, Budgam and Kulgam districts in connection with an investigation into fresh terror recruitment by terror outfits.

The Counter-Intelligence unit also carried out searches at the super speciality hospital at Shireen Bagh in Srinagar.

During the operation, Dr Umer Farooq Bhat, a resident of Bugam village of Kulgam district and who works at Super Speciality SMHS Hospital in Shireenbagh, and his wife Shahzada Akhtar were detained.

Dr Umer Farooq, a government employee, was found to be engaging in unlawful online activities, misusing his official position and social legitimacy to engage in behaviour detrimental to public order and national security, sources told NDTV.

In the searches, incriminating material, including radical and jihadi literature specifically targeted at women, sources said, has been recovered.

The woman suspect, Shahzada Akhtar, in particular, is alleged to have been involved in radicalising local women through curated online and offline engagements, pushing divisive narratives, and influencing vulnerable groups under the pretext of community interaction, sources said.

Her affiliation with the banned terrorist organisation 'Dukhtaran-e-Millat' is currently under investigation.

The case, sources said, highlights a concerning trend of exploiting social roles and professional facades to advance disruptive agendas.

All recovered devices - 5 mobile phones, SIM cards, 1 tablet device - are undergoing detailed forensic analysis, which is expected to unravel a broader digital network linked to organised propaganda efforts.

Early leads, said sources, indicate the possibility of a wider ecosystem of collaborators and sympathisers, whose activities were aimed at amplifying extremist content and manipulating public perception.

"No individual, irrespective of position or profession, will be allowed to weaponise social or digital influence to aid terrorism or disturb public order. CIK remains resolute in its mission to dismantle the terror ecosystem, including its operators, facilitators, sympathisers, promoters, and propagators. The crackdown continues, and more actions are expected as the investigation unfolds," the intelligence agency said.

After the unearthing of the white collar terror module by J&K Police in coordination with Haryana Police in Faridabad in Haryana, sustained interrogation of the arrested accused has been providing crucial information to the investigators.