J&K terror handlers now prefer recruits with no separatist links, criminal past: Officials

Youths with no past criminal record or separatist affiliation are now preferred for recruitment by terror handlers in Jammu and Kashmir to stay under the radar of security forces, officials say.

This fresh strategy is completely different from the modus operandi adopted by them two decades ago, according to officials, which favoured those with established links to terror outfits.

The investigators probing the “white collar terror module” have found a distinct pattern and a common denominator among the accused persons who have been arrested or questioned so far.

“The accused persons like Dr Adeel Rather, his brother Dr Muzaffar Rather, and Dr Muzammil Ganaie do not have any past criminal record or involvement in anti-national activities,” an official said.

The official said even the fam