Woman held for ‘luring youngsters into militancy through Facebook’

In a first-of-its-kind case , a woman has been arrested by security agencies in Kashmir for allegedly luring youngsters through Facebook into militancy, especially the Jaish-e-Mohammed, officials said Sunday.

Identified as Shazia from Naidkhai in the Sumbal area of Bandipore in north Kashmir, she was picked up after intelligence agencies zeroed on her Facebook profile, through which she was “luring youngsters for jihad and picking up weapons”, the officials said.

During interrogation, it was found that she had handed over some ammunition and magazines to two youngsters from Anantnag district, one of whom has been picked up.

Shazia, who is in her early 30’s and a mother of two, had been on the radar of security agencies for quite some time.

She would seek favours from senior officers promising them help in getting some militants arrested.

A video featuring Shazia had surfaced on Facebook a few months ago, and it was alleged that she was a police informer. On the basis of a complaint filed by her, two youths were picked up and later let off with a warning.

“It seems that she was being used by terror groups to extract information from police and other security agencies and pass it on to the militants,” an officer, privy to the case, said on condition of anonymity.

She has not been forthcoming in her interrogation so far other than dropping names of militant commanders, the officials said.

Shazia’s arrest comes a week after police nabbed 28-year-old Aysia Jan for carrying 20 grenades at Lawaypora in the city outskirts following inputs about militants trying to smuggle arms and ammunition into the city.

Besides grenades, police also recovered ammunition from her possession.

Her two brothers were detained in connection with the case.

SRINAGAR: THE ARREST COMES A WEEK AFTER JAMMU AND KASHMIR POLICE NABBED 28YEAROLD AYSIA JAN FOR

CARRYING 20 GRENADES IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF SRINAGAR