13839 - Terrorists’ social media groups seeking Aadhaar numbers of potential recruits - Sunday Guardian Live

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Terrorists’ social media groups seeking Aadhaar numbers of potential recruits

Abhinandan Mishra

• Updated : August 4, 2018, 7:05 PM

Administrators manning the social media groups of terrorist outfits such as Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are asking for the Aadhaar numbers of those who are seeking entry into their WhatsApp and Telegram groups.

Independent security experts and government officials, who keep an eye on thousands of groups that are actively used by the terrorists to coordinate with their followers and spread propaganda, especially in the Kashmir valley, told The Sunday Guardian that of late those who are not able to furnish Aadhaar numbers are not being allowed access into the group. Those who are already in the group but are unable to share their Aadhaar details are being removed from the group.

A “hacker”, who has been working independently with multiple government agencies, said that when he recently tried to join a WhatsApp group of Jaish-e-Mohammad sympathisers, he was asked by the administrator to submit his Aadhaar details. When the “hacker” submitted a false Aadhaar number, the administrator called his bluff and denied him entry, saying that the Aadhaar details that he had given belonged to someone else.

This has raised the question on whether, or not, the terror groups have somehow been able to access some sort of an Aadhaar database from where they are able to verify the details.

Technical experts this newspaper talked to, have found that the terror groups are now shifting to BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), which is known for enhanced security features and “industry grade” encryption.

The terror groups and their sympathisers administer hundreds of groups on popular messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp. Earlier, anyone who could “locate” these groups could join them but now these groups have increased their “security” to keep spies and government officials out.

In recent months, especially after Pakistan was put on the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for failing to control the activities of the terror groups, many of these online groups were “shut down” to avoid detection by foreign agencies.

Last year, as part of its investigation in the terror groups active in Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency identified more than 50 such WhatsApp groups that were being used by terrorist outfits, separatists and stone-pelters to coordinate their “activities” in Jammu and Kashmir.

13605 - Thirty-six Bangladeshi nationals with ‘suspicious documents’ held from Buddhavihars in Pune district - Indian Express

Thirty-six Bangladeshi nationals with ‘suspicious documents’ held from Buddhavihars in Pune district

The ATS had recovered identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and Voters’ IDs from the trio, which they had procured by submitting bogus documents at the respective government offices.

TOP NEWSBy: Express News Service | Pune | Published: May 27, 2018 5:56:30 am

The Pune Rural Police have detained 36 Bangladeshi nationals from different parts of the district for allegedly living illegally in India.

The “illegal” Bangladeshi migrants were picked up from Daund, Yevat, Wadgaon Nimbalkar and Baramati, said police sources. Some of them were found to be living as bhikkhus (priests) in Buddhavihars.

Personnel from the anti-terrorist cell of the Pune Rural Police first nabbed 15 Bangladeshi nationals from a Buddhavihar in Patas in Daund taluka. The suspects had allegedly been living in India illegally for the past one year. Police teams then picked up Bangladeshi nationals from Kurkumbh village and Malegaon in Baramati. Some documents found in the possession of the detained men were fake and suspicious, said police.

Offences were registered against the “illegal” Bangladeshi migrants at Daund, Yevat and Baramati rural police stations on Saturday. Police are investigating how the Bangladeshi nationals came to the Buddhavihars in Pune district. While the suspects told police that they had come here to preach Buddhism, investigators are trying to ascertain why they came to India and how they obtained illegal Indian identity documents. In March this year, in a joint operation, officials of the central intelligence agencies, Military Intelligence and the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested several illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Raigad and Pune, including three Bangladeshi nationals who were suspected to have provided logistical support and financial help to members of the banned outfit Ansarulla Bangla Team (ABT), which is a ‘front organisation’ for Al-Qaeda.

The ATS had recovered identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and Voters’ IDs from the trio, which they had procured by submitting bogus documents at the respective government offices. The trio were booked under sections of Indian Penal Code, Passport Act, the Foreigners Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

A 41-year-old man from Khargar in Navi Mumbai was also arrested in connection with the case in March, for allegedly helping the illegal Bangladeshi migrants procure Aadhaar cards and PAN cards by submitting bogus documents.

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13228 - Do militants apply for SIM cards? SC asks Centre - Kashmir Monitor

Do militants apply for SIM cards? SC asks Centre

By Agencies - Published at: Apr 07, 2018

 NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre how legitimate would it be to ask 120 crore people of the country to link their mobile phones to Aadhaar just to get hold of a few militants. "Do militants apply for SIM cards? It is a problem that you are asking the entire 120 crore people to link their mobile phones with Aadhaar just to catch a few militants," a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said.

The bench also added that the government may have "legitimate State interest", but asked how fair would it be to ask 120 crore people to link their Aadhaar with mobile to catch a few. "Mere legitimate state interest does not ensure proportionality," it added.

The bench is hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the validity of Aadhaar and its enabling 2016 law. During the hearing, the top court also disagreed with the Centre's submissions and said that Aadhaar cannot stop banking frauds. "There is no doubt about the identity of fraudsters. The bank knows whom it is giving loan and it is the bank officials who are hand-in-glove with the fraudsters. Aadhaar can do little to stop it," the bench said.

The apex court also said that it seems that bank officials are hand in glove with fraudsters and that scams do not happen because the culprits are unknown. "Banking fraud does not happen because of multiple IDs. Aadhaar will not prevent an individual from operating layers of commercial transactions. It would not prevent bank frauds either," the bench told Attorney General KK Venugopal who is representing the Centre.
The AG had submitted that biometrics were safe and could solve problems like "money laundering, bank frauds, income tax evasion and terrorism". Advocating for Aadhaar, he said that the UIDAI was seeking minimal information to generating Aadhaar and most of it was already available in public domain. He referred to the example of lawyers and said their addresses, phone numbers, photographs are there in public domain. He said the invasion of privacy was very minimal in Aadhaar and it may not even be considered as an invasion.

8966 - Associate of Bangladeshi Terror Operative Held in City - New Indian Express

Associate of Bangladeshi Terror Operative Held in City

By Express News Service

Published: 17th October 2015 03:40 AM

HYDERABAD: A youth, who was planning to train Jihadis in Hyderabad was arrested by the special investigation team (SIT) sleuths when he visited Cherlapally Central prison to meet Mohammed Nasir, a member of the dreaded Bangladeshi terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jihadi Al-Islami (HUJI) Friday.

Nasir, a Bangladeshi migrant to Pakistan, was arrested along with five others by the city police for obtaining Aadhaar cards and passports by submitting fake ID proofs in August, this year.

After the arrest of four illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar along with two local brokers, the SIT had deputed a team to keep an eye on the persons coming to meet the accused during Mulaqats.

While the police were verifying the credentials of persons who visit the terror elements, they stumbled upon Alim Ul Islam Mandal, a native of Baltha village in Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal. He came to Charlapally prison to meet Mohammed Nasir, the key accused , who is a relative of Abdul Jabbar, the leader of HUJI. 

Additional commissioner of police (ACP), Crimes, Swati Lakra said that Alim Ul Isalm, the Bengal man who was detained when he came to Cherlapally Central prison to meet Mohammad Nasir was planning to impart training to Jihadis.

“Mohammad Nasir and Alim Ul Islam Mandal worked together in a factory at Panipat and they along with others decided to start a madrasa to impart training for Jihadis. During interrogation, Nasir admitted that he along with Alim Ul Islam Mandal and another person had conspired to establish a madrasa to impart Jihadi training. Alim Ul Islam came to the city to meet Nasir to chart out their plans,” he said.

On August 14, four persons including Mohammed Nasir, a Bangladeshi migrant to Pakistan, suspected to be having close links with banned terror outfit HUJI, were arrested by the city police.  Mohammed Nasir, Joynal Abedin and Faizal Mohamoud, all from Bangladesh and one Zia Ur Rahman of Myanmar were arrested. Later, two more agents were nabbed for helping the accused to obtain passports, voter ID card and Aadhaar card using fake address. Some police constables attached to the Special Branch were also suspended by the Hyderabad police for issuing passports to the accused.

Mohammed Nasir, the key accused, is a relative of Abdul Jabbar, leader of HUJI. He had been living in India illegally since 2010 and in Hyderabad since March 2015. According to investigators, it was Abdul Jabbar who indoctrinated Nasir with Jihadi ideology and sent him to India.

Nasir, along with his wife, stayed at Jalpally in Cyberabad. During his stay in the city, he received several illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar, and arranged for their stay at Masood’s residence as tenants. Showing Masood’s address, passports and other ID cards he arranged Aadhaar cards and other documents for the illegal immigrants.

8824 - Burdwan blast accused got Aadhaar, election card - The Hindu

NEW DELHI, October 5, 2015

Updated: October 5, 2015 05:46 IST

Burdwan blast accused got Aadhaar, election card

Tarikul Islam, the Bangladeshi terrorist arrested in connection with Burdwan blast, is believed to have acquired Aadhaar card and Voter I Card to project himself as an Indian citizenship and avoid being arrested by the NIA, official sources said here on Sunday.

Even after he was picked up by the NIA last week from Jharkhand, he had been maintaining that he was not involved in the blast, they said.

However, after his finger prints matched with one of the crime scene preserved by the NIA, he started spilling some of the beans about his association with banned Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terror group, the sources said.

He claimed during interrogation that he had been jailed in Bangaldesh prison for five years where he met Sheikh Rahamatullah alias Sajid, the mastermind of JMB terror group, and his radicalisation process begun, the sources said.

This information has been shared with Bangladesh authorities to ascertain the veracity of his claim, they added.

Indoctrination

He crossed over to India in 2012 for indoctrination of youth in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar for recruiting them in the terror group with an aim of destalising Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh and enforce Sharia-based Islamic rule “through violent terrorist acts”.

For the purpose of establishing his credentials as an Indian, he claimed to have bribed local election and Aaadhaar card officials to procure the same, the sources said.

He also married an Indian girl who was minor at that time, they said, adding that the wedding was solemnised at Simulia madrasa in Burdwan, West Bengal where the terrorist training camps were organised by JMB.

His wife along with an eight-month old baby and his brother-in-law are missing from the day he was arrested from Jharkhand.

Islam, who was arrested from Ramgarh district of Jharkhand by a team of NIA and Anti-Terror Squad of the Jharkhand police, carried a cash reward of Rs. 5 lakh as he is alleged to be an important member of ‘Shoora’, the decision-making body of JMB. He is in the NIA custody till October nine.

NIA has already charge-sheeted him for his alleged role in the Burdwan blast which occurred in a house on October 2 last year, leaving two persons dead.

During investigation of the case, NIA claimed that Islam was a part of larger conspiracy of JMB to organise terror attacks in Bangladesh and in India and had been frequently entering India illegally, at different times since the year 2008-2009.

NIA took over the case from West Bengal police a few days after the explosion on October 2 when international links started emerging. Investigators have found that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were being fabricated in the house where the explosion took place and later smuggled to Bangladesh.

NIA has so far found that members of JMB has established a network in different places like Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Birbhum, Burdwan in West Bengal and Barpetta in Assam, Sahibganj and Pakur in Jharkhand.

In its charge sheet filed in March this year, NIA claimed to have busted an international conspiracy of JMB which wanted to overthrow the democratically-elected government of Sheikh Hasina “through violent terrorist acts and replace it with a hard-line Sharia based Islamic rule, which came to light after the accidental blast.” - PTI

8823 - Bangladeshi terrorist involved in Burdhwan blast had acquired Aadhaar, Voter Card - First Post

Bangladeshi terrorist involved in Burdhwan blast had acquired Aadhaar, Voter Card

Oct 4, 2015 19:11 IST

New Delhi: Tarikul Islam, the Bangladeshi terrorist arrested in connection with Burdhwan blast, is believed to have acquired Aadhaar card and Voter Card to project himself as an Indian citizenship and avoid being arrested by the NIA, official sources said in New Delhi on Sunday.

Even after he was picked up by the NIA last week from Jharkhand, he had been maintaining that he was not involved in
the blast, they said.

However, after his finger prints matched with one of the crime scene preserved by the NIA, he started spilling some of the beans about his association with banned Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terror group, the sources said.

He claimed during interrogation that he had been jailed in Bangaldesh prison for five years where he met Sheikh Rahamatullah alias Sajid, the mastermind of JMB terror group, and his radicalisation process begun, the sources said.

This information has been shared with Bangladesh authorities to ascertain the veracity of his claim, they added.

He crossed over to India in 2012 for indoctrination of youth in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar for recruiting them in the terror group with an aim of destabilising Sheikh Hasina's government in Bangladesh and enforce Sharia-based Islamic rule "through violent terrorist acts".

For the purpose of establishing his credentials as an Indian, he claimed to have bribed local election and Aaadhaar card officials to procure the same, the sources said.

He also married an Indian girl who was minor at that time, they said, adding that the wedding was solemnised at Simulia madrasa in Burdwan, West Bengal where the terrorist training camps were organised by JMB.

The wife along with an eight-month old baby and his brother-in-law are missing from the day he was arrested from Jharkhand.

Islam, who was arrested from Ramgarh district of Jharkhand by a team of NIA and Anti-Terror Squad of Jharkhand police, carried a cash reward of Rs five lakh as he is alleged to be an important member of 'Shoora', the decision-making body of JMB. He is in the NIA custody till October nine.

NIA has already chargesheeted him for his alleged role in the Burdhwan blast which occurred in a house on 2 October, 2014, leaving two persons dead.

During investigation of the case, NIA claimed that Islam was a part of larger conspiracy of JMB to organise terror attacks in Bangladesh and in India and had been frequently entering India illegally, at different times since the year 2008-2009.

NIA took over the case from West Bengal police a few days after the explosion on October 2 when international links started emerging. Investigators have found that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were being fabricated in the house where the explosion took place and later smuggled to Bangladesh.

NIA has so far found that members of JMB has established a network in different places like Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Birbhum, Burdwan in West Bengal and Barpetta in Assam, Sahibganj and Pakur in Jharkhand.

In its charge sheet filed in March this year, NIA claimed to have busted an international conspiracy of JMB which wanted to overthrow the democratically-elected government of Sheikh Hasina "through violent terrorist acts and replace it with a hard-line Sharia based Islamic rule, which came to light after the accidental blast."

PTI

8560 - SIT Detains Three Including a Cop for Terror-Passport Link - New Indian Express

SIT Detains Three Including a Cop for Terror-Passport Link

By Express News Service

Published: 18th August 2015 05:19 AM

HYDERABAD: A day after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned policemen suspecting their role in issuing passports fraudulenty, the police have arrested three persons including head constable Basheer Ahmed, Home Guard Sheik Saleem of special branch and passport agent Ansari.

The SIT police have questioned as many as six special branch (SB) policemen who allegedly accepted ‘bribe’ and helped the suspected HuJI operatives get passports illegally.

“Two policemen confessed to their offence and accepted that they helped the accused to get passports without proper verification by collecting money. One agent Ansari had played a key role by mediating between the accused and SB policemen. It was te agent who set the deal between SB police and the accused by accepting a commission,’’ said T Prabhakar Rao, joint commissioner of police, CCS.

Ansari came to the city in 2003 and started his career as data entry operator. He got in touch with one Mohammed Javeed who used to arrange Aadhaar cards at Moghalpura for Myanmar refugees by fraudulent means.

Later, Ansari came in contact with Basheer Ahmed, an SB constable and took the policeman’s help to obtain Indian passports for illegal immigrants. Head constable Basheer Ahmed is a 2007 batch police personnel working with SB, South Zone for the past four-and-a-half years. The policeman colluded with the Ansari to help the accused by taking bribes.

SK Saleem, Home Guard, attached to the Passport Verification Cell used to divert passport applications particularly to Basheer Ahmed and accepts illegal gratification through online transactions to his bank account from the account of Ansari.

The SIT would continue to probe the case by questioning the other policemen who are under a cloud of suspicion in connection with the passport case.

Meanwhile, the police have filed a petition before the court seeking 15-day police custody of the six accused who were arrested for illegal immigration and getting Indian passports under fictitious names.

The accused Mohammed Nasir, Faizal Mohamoudand Joynal Abedin Bangladesh and Zia-Ur-Rehman of Myanmar, along with two local agents Mohd Masood Ali Khant and Sohail Parvez Khan in Cyberabad colluded to obtain fake passports. The accused obtained four Indian passports, one Bangladesh passport, around 100 ID proofs like Voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards, Birth Certificates, passport delivery envelopes, affidavits illegally.

8532 - Pakistani with suspected terror links nabbed - The Hindu

HYDERABAD, August 15, 2015

Pakistani with suspected terror links nabbed

• MARRI RAMU

Mohammed Nasir allegedly helped Dilsukhnagar blasts accused flee the country

A racket of Bangladesh nationals landing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia via Hyderabad with fraudulently secured Indian passports was busted by city police on Friday with the arrest of six persons, including four nationals of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Among the arrested persons was 53-year-old Mohammed Nasir, a Pakistani, accused of helping Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas, member of Indian Mujahideen module responsible for the twin blasts in Dilsukhnagar here in 2013, flee the country. Waqas crossed over to Bangladesh from West Bengal with Nasir’s help but was eventually caught a year later by the Delhi police.

Originally a Bangladeshi, Nasir migrated to Pakistan when he was eight years old and secured Pakistan citizenship. In Pakistan, he came in contact with Abdul Jabbar, leader of outlawed Harkat-ul-Jehad-e- Islami (HuJI), Hyderabad Central Crime Station Joint Commissioner T. Prabhakar Rao said at a press conference.

“Indoctrinated by Jabbar, Nasir came to India five years ago by illegally crossing the border to carry out plans of the former,” Mr. Rao said. He had been living in different parts of the country since then and managed to obtain documents including Aadhaar card.

He was living with his wife, who worked as nurse in a private hospital at Jalpally on city outskirts.

“Investigation indicated that they had not planned any terror attacks on the eve of Independence Day but their future plans were yet to be ascertained, the Joint CP said.

Nasir met a Hyderabadi Sohail Parvez Khan, school teacher of Balapur, and through the latter got introduced to Masood Ali Khan, owner of photo-copying centre in Chanchalguda. With their help, he was preparing documents such as Aadhaar card which were presented to secure passports.

He used to collect money ranging from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 50,000 from each Bangladeshi to arrange the passports so that they can land in Saudi Arabia claiming as Indians and work there.

“Since Saudi Arabia banned labour migration from Bangladesh, they were using Indian passports to go and work there,” the Task Force officials who busted the gang said.

So far they had arranged such travel documents to 15 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar and helped them go abroad. Recently, Bangladeshis Faizal Mohamoud and Joynal Abedin and Myanmar national Zia Ur Rahman, “who illegally entered India”, had approached Nasir.

He arranged accommodation for them in the house of Masood and was arranging them documents when police caught them on a tip-off.