J&K: Pakistan-Based Terror Groups Use Women as 'Honeytrap' to Lure Kashmiri Youths Into Militancy, Say Officials

Srinagar, December 2: Pakistan-based terror groups are using women as 'honeytraps' in Jammu and Kashmir to lure youths into militancy, officials said on Sunday, as reported by news agency PTI. This came to the fore after the arrest of Syed Shazia, a woman in her early 30s from Bandipore, a fortnight ago. Shazia has been running several accounts on social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram which many youths in the Valley followed, they said.

Shazia had been on the radar of central security agencies for several months. Talking about her modus operandi, officials said that Shazia used to converse with youths and would promise to meet them only if a certain “consignment” was delivered from one place to another. She also had links to some officers in the police department but the officials termed it a usual tactic of “double-cross” as she used to report the movement of troops. Terrorists Slit Throat of Youth in Shopian, Second Killing in 36 Hours.

Officials said that no "so sensitive" information was sent to her handlers across the border by Shazia. During interrogation, she told the investigators about the presence of some more women in militants ranks who had been tasked with luring youths into militancy, they said. Her name popped up during the probe of a case from September last year when the police killed Abu Ismail, the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror chief in the valley, and Chotta Qassim.

Some documents and materials were seized from the encounter site in the outskirts of Srinagar city which indicated that an unidentified woman hailing from North Kashmir was involved in supplying arms and ammunition to the two terrorists. Prior to her arrest, the police picked a special police officer hailing from Handwara who informed Shazia that her phone had been kept on monitoring.

A few months ago, a video featuring Shazia had surfaced on Facebook in which she was called as a police informer. She had filed a complaint, after which two accused were held. A week before her arrest on November 17, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had arrested Aysia Jan (28) for carrying 20 grenades at Lawaypora on the city outskirts following inputs about terrorists trying to smuggle arms and ammunition into the city. (With agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 02, 2018 07:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).