The HuJI re-grouping saga
Kerala, J&K, UP, WB. Hyderabad, WB & Kerala for logistics. I think Kerala, WB will probably be switched on during a war like situation.Posted on July 12, 2011 by Vicky Nanjappa
The recent threat by the dreaded Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) to bomb the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi is a pointer that this outfit is becoming more brazen and wants to focus most of its activities in India.
With the Lashkar-e-Tayiba taking a back seat where India operations are concerned for the time being, it looks like this dreaded outfit HuJI which operates primarily out of Bangladesh is planning on taking centre stage.
Sources in the Intelligence Bureau say that HuJI has always been looking to dominate in India. The original plan by the ISI was to keep India on tenter hooks from both sides ie Pakistan and Bangladesh. While the Pakistan border was to be controlled by cadres of the Lashkar, the border along Bangladesh was always considered to be the domain of the HuJI.
A dossier prepared by the Indian Intelligence Bureau goes on to show that there has been an increased amount of activity where HuJI is concerned. The recruitment is at an all time high and records would show that at least 150 youth from West Bengal have gone missing. Investigations have gone on to show that these youth were picked up by the cadres of HuJI and are being trained to launch operations against India.
However an interesting point that Intelligence agencies make is that the kind of terror that HuJI is looking to launch would be different in nature. They are looking for abductions of high profile individuals so that they can hold the state to ransom.
HuJI is known to specialize in this field and they would using their knowledge in this regard on the Indian soil as well. This would solve two issues for this terrorist outfit. One they would try and raise money through such abductions and secondly they will ensure that the state is held to a ransom through such activity.
The growing ties between India and Bangladesh have put the brakes on this outfit and both countries have agreed to jointly counter the menace of this outfit. HuJI relied on the counterfeit notes racket to a large extent like all other terror outfits. However with the relations with two countries growing stronger the brakes have been applied on raising money to a large extent.
The IB says that HuJI would surely try and focus on carrying out terror attacks. However first on their agenda would be to try and raise funds for such attacks. They have been offering lucrative packages to their cadres.
They have decided to go about their India operations in a systematic manner. First and foremost they would raise funds through abductions and later use the same funds to carry out terror strikes. They have even started to offer their cadres attractive packages and the families of the suicide bombers are being offered anything between Rs 20 and Rs 25 lakh, the IB says.
The strongest base for the HuJI in India had always been Hyderabad and this was set up by Shahid Bilal who was two years back killed in an encounter at Pakistan. The fall of Bilal and the police action in Hyderabad had put this outfit completely on the back foot. However today they are trying to make a come back and using all of their resources to ensure that they do successfully. They have appointed cadres mostly from West Bengal to set up sleeper cells and each one is being offered Rs 10,000 per month. All this information that has been picked up based on intercepts by the IB also suggest that these sleeper cells would be set up first in the Nothern part of India before they move down South.
There are already two control centres that have been set up in Bangladesh exclusively to monitor the operations in India. These centres have been set up to train the youth who have been picked up from India and once their training is complete they are sent back to carry on with their work.
Following a Home Ministry alert regarding these developments, security agencies have already started to monitor the youth who have returned to India from Bangladesh. The alert is high the IB says and all police stations from across the country have been alerted regarding these developments. Security agencies also warn that action needs to be taken swiftly. If one looks at the manner in which the HuJI is going about its work, it becomes clear that the outfit means business and is going out of its way to strengthen its base in India which it had lost 3 years ago.