New Delhi, Oct 1: Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reportedly launched a massive drive to recruit retired army and navy personnel into terror outfits to bypass training delays and lead operations in Jammu and Kashmir, according to intelligence officials.

The tactical shift follows acute recruitment shortages faced by terror groups, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen after Operation Sindoor.

It is well known that following Operation Sindoor in May last year, terror outfits such as the Lashkar, Jaish and Hizbul Mujahideen have faced difficulties in recruiting new cadres.

Although recruitment has picked up pace, the challenge remains that these recruits require extensive training before they can be considered ready to carry out terror operations against India.

An official said that in order to overcome this gap and to make these groups operation-ready faster, the ISI has been looking for retired Pakistani army personnel.

While Pakistan has extensively used its former army personnel in the past, this time it is looking to recruit a much bigger number into the terror groups.

“Former soldiers and commandos are the preferred choice. They are operation-ready and would require a bare minimum amount of training before they can be sent out to carry out terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir,” the official said.

Another official said that the ISI used former army and navy personnel to be part of terror operations. The focus had, however, been on them imparting training when it comes to terror operations, fidayeen attacks, and also logistics.

The 26/11 Mumbai attacks also highlighted the extensive role allegedly played by Pakistan’s military establishment. Individuals such as Major Iqbal were reported to have been involved in the training of the attackers. They were also said to have been present alongside the handlers in Karachi, providing instructions to the 10 terrorists who entered Mumbai on the night of November 26, 2008.

The official added that the ISI, with the assistance of Pakistan’s army, has been preparing a list of personnel who have retired or have resigned from the Pakistan army.

“They are being offered huge incentives to be part of the terror groups that have focused their operations largely on Jammu and Kashmir,” the official said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said Pakistan was not planning a major attack in the immediate future. However, the country wants its terror groups to remain fully operational and prepared to carry out attacks when required.

Once these retired personnel are picked, they would be sent to the launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

“Currently at the launchpads, the terrorists are divided into batches of three. There is one terrorist each from the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen in each batch,” the official said.

The ISI, according to the official, intends to include a retired and fully operationally ready soldier in each of these groups. Such personnel could lead the attacks more effectively because of their experience. Having served in the field for several years, they are also familiar with the terrain and other logistical aspects involved in such operations.

“Further, a retired soldier will command more respect in the respective batch he is posted in. Those operatives under him will derive a lot from his experience on the battlefield,” the official said.

The focus is more on the Lashkar at the moment, and such personnel are being recruited into this group.

“Compared with the Jaish and Hizbul Mujahideen, the Lashkar appears to be better prepared to carry out an operation in Jammu and Kashmir. The outfit has, for now, resolved its leadership issues, with Hafiz Saeed’s son, Talha Saeed, taking complete control,” officials said.

By recruiting former army personnel, the ISI can bypass one crucial stage, namely radicalisation, officials said.

Such individuals, they added, may already have undergone extensive ideological conditioning during their training and service, making them more readily deployable for violent operations. The strategy is also seen as part of Pakistan’s long-standing reliance on the “bleeding by a thousand cuts” doctrine against India.

With very basic training required and radicalisation not needed, it makes perfect sense for the ISI to rope in retired army personnel to be part of these terror groups, another official said.

Balaghat, Oct 1: Ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Balaghat to meet families of tribal children who died in the district, Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari on Thursday demanded a public report on the deaths and questioned the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav-led state government’s spending on healthcare in tribal areas.

Addressing a press conference in Balaghat, state Congress chief Patwari alleged that despite crores of rupees being allocated for healthcare, the Madhya Pradesh government had failed to make public the reasons for the children’s deaths, vaccination records and findings of health surveys conducted in the affected areas.

“The government allocated crores of rupees and made all the arrangements. The truth is, did children die or not? Whether there were multiple factors, what does it matter? Have you made the report public till today? Has the government made public the reasons why the children died? Did you conduct a survey? Did you carry out vaccination? Did you make the vaccination report public?” he said at a press conference in Balaghat.

LoP Gandhi is scheduled to visit Balaghat and meet families of children who died in tribal-dominated areas.

He is scheduled to arrive around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday in the state. During the press conference, Patwari also questioned the utilisation of funds earmarked for healthcare in tribal areas, alleging that Rs 4,630 crore was supposed to be spent under the Health Mission.

“Where did that money go? I just told you that Rs 4,630 crore was supposed to be spent on the Health Mission in tribal areas. Where did that money go?” he asked.

Patwari demanded a comprehensive review of the state’s health, education and economic sectors and sought a White Paper on the condition of Madhya Pradesh.

“Now, review the entire state from A to Z. Discuss different sectors and make fresh preparations with a long-term vision to try to resolve these problems. Bring out a White Paper. Why is there poverty? Why is Madhya Pradesh weak in healthcare? Why is the condition of education in Madhya Pradesh so poor? How has the economy been damaged? How can we save the state from corruption?” Patwari said.

He also targeted the BJP government over its claims of having eliminated Naxalism, questioning whether adequate public services had reached the remote areas once affected by Left-Wing Extremism.

“Advertisements were put up across the country, summits were held, and praise was garnered that Naxalism has been eradicated. In those Naxal-affected areas where you talk about liberation, why haven’t you arranged for doctors, hospitals, schools? Why haven’t you provided employment resources?” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla had said that more than 3,100 doctors had been posted at Primary Health Centres in remote areas of the state, with over 2,600 having already joined duty.

Shukla, who looks after the state’s health department, had said the situation in 50 villages across two blocks (in Balaghat) was under control following effective action against Naxalism.

New Delhi, Oct 1: The Cyber Police Station of Delhi’s South District has busted an interstate cyber-fraud network involved in Telegram-based task and cryptocurrency investment fraud, arresting three accused persons from Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand, police said on Thursday.

According to police, the case came to light after a complainant reported being cheated of Rs 7,86,300 in a Telegram-based task and cryptocurrency investment fraud. The complainant allegedly came in contact with the fraudsters through a Telegram group, where he was induced to undertake online tasks and invest money in cryptocurrency with the promise of substantial returns.

Believing their representations, the complainant transferred Rs 7,86,300 in two instalments of Rs 4,66,300 and Rs 3,20,000, as directed by the accused, police said.

However, the accused neither provided the promised returns nor returned the invested amount and subsequently stopped responding to the complainant.

Following the complaint, e-FIR No. 0149/2025 under Sections 318(4), 319 and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Police Station Cyber South, and an investigation was initiated.

The police team comprised Sub-Inspector Raj Kumar Singh, Head Constable Sunil Kumar Bairwa and HC Rajkumar Bairwa, under the leadership of Inspector Hansraj Swami, SHO, PS Cyber South, and the supervision of ACP/Operations Balram Singh Beniwal.

During the investigation, technical and financial analyses were conducted to trace the flow of fraudulent funds. Police identified several mule bank accounts allegedly used to route the proceeds of the cyber fraud. An amount of Rs 4.66 lakh was traced to one mule account, while another account had received Rs 5.22 lakh.

Based on the investigation, the accused Karan Biswas and Mohit Sarkar alias Monu were traced and arrested in Udham Singh Nagar.

Further investigation led to the formal arrest of Vinay Mandal, who was already in custody in connection with another cyber-fraud case registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Rohtak, Haryana. He was subsequently taken on a three-day police custody remand.

Police said the accused operated Telegram-based task and cryptocurrency investment schemes to lure victims into transferring money. Mule bank accounts were allegedly arranged through intermediaries on commission and used to receive, route and withdraw the fraudulent funds. The proceeds were also allegedly utilised for cryptocurrency transactions, including through USDT.

The police recovered two mobile phones, one Canara Bank passbook and relevant digital and financial evidence from the accused.

According to police, Karan Biswas and Mohit Sarkar have no previous criminal involvement, while Vinay Mandal was previously involved in FIR No. 148/25 registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Rohtak, Haryana.

Police said the investigation resulted in the identification and arrest of three alleged members of the network and uncovered the use of mule accounts to route cyber-fraud proceeds.