Kidnappings to fund Islamic terrorism in India

Kidnapping: Terror’s new funding source
Vicky Nanjappa
October 10, 2008 12:02 IST

It is a known fact that fake currency is one of the main funding methods to carry out terror-related activities. While investigating agencies have begun to crack down heavily on the fake currency racket, terror operatives are now finding newer methods to fund terror operations.

Intelligence bureau officials warn that the next big to fund terror activities would be abductions and investigations have shown that ransom money was used in major terror operations such as the attack on the World Trade Centre and the Indian Parliament.

IB reports suggest that the abductions are often carried out by the underworld and a part of the ransom money is handed over to terror operatives, who use it to carry out subversive activities.

According to a report prepared by B Srinivasulu, Superintendent of Police, Intelligence, Hyderabad, kidnappers resort to new methods to achieve their goal. Abductions in India are often controlled from Dubai, that operate using satellite phones. These persons use local conduits in such operations.

Persons desperate to go to the Gulf are chosen as conduits and are lured into the racket with a promise of easy money. The job assigned to these conduits is to identify persons who could be abducted. Once identified, the local gangs are directed to undertake the operation.

Once the operation is complete, the call is then made through satellite phones from Dubai and the ransom money is transferred.

The IB says that a large part of this money is used in funding terror operations. In the year 2001, a businessman from Kolkata by the name Partho Burman was abducted and later released after ransom money of Rs 4 crore was paid.

The IB report says that the man who controlled the operation from Dubai was Aftab Ansari, a resident of Uttar Pradesh [Images] who owed allegiance to the Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islam.

The agency adds that that there is proof of ransom money being used in terror operations.

An E-mail sent by Ansari to Asif Reza Khan, a SIMI [Images] leader stated, ‘Bhai maine ek lakh dollar Sheikh Omar ko de diya hai (I have paid $100,000 to Sheikh).’

The modus operandi is proving to be difficult to crack for investigating agencies.

Recently, a boy abducted in Hyderabad was kept in a farm house in the city and later shifted to Pune where another gang took possession of the boy. Ironically, the gang at Hyderabad, which carried out the operation, was unaware of the members of the Pune gang.

From Pune the boy was shifted to a remote village in UP and handed over to another local gang. Once again, the Pune gang had no idea about the gang in UP. The only person aware of all the three gangs would be the man sitting in Dubai and controlling operations, the IB says.

This in turn makes it very difficult to crack down on the case since these gangs are operating strictly on a need-to-know basis.

According to Srinivasalu’s report a specialised organized crime unit needs to be set up at the state level to handle such cases and this unit needs to coordinate with the rest of the states.

There needs to be a central nodal agency to coordinate the efforts of this team and it would be the job of this agency to collect information from all units, analyse it and then pass it on.

As the kidnappings/extortions are being perpetrated by the underworld from foreign soil, it is necessary to have a matured co-ordination with the Central Bureau of Investigation to handle such cases when the state units are unable to investigate effectively for unforeseen reasons viz., case spreading over different states, compilation of ownership details of satellite phones and also extradition of the accused.

Geelani’s three Islamic objectives for Kashmir

To read complete transcript of interview with Geelani, click here

Ever since my release from prison on August 7, 2004, I have been spreading my message across Kashmir. I have a three-point target. First is to impose an Islamic nizam (jurisprudence) in Kashmir. Islam should govern our lives, be it in our political thought, socio-economic plans, culture or the ongoing movement. The creed of socialism and secularism should not touch our lives and we must be totally governed by the Koran and the Sunnat (precedents from Prophet Mohammad’s life). Secondly, I have been propagating that we must fight against anti-Islamic forces. These forces come in our way under the garb of nationalists, secularists, racists, linguistic chauvinists, and so on. Thirdly, I have been telling the youth to work for the right to self-determination which is granted to them by the United Nations. I have been drawing huge support from the youth for this as a result of which you see lakhs of people on the roads today.

Hindutva, Gita and Islamic fundamentalism – must read

Hindutva and radical Islam: Where the twain do meet
Dec 27, 2007, Arun Shourie

Your Hindutva is no different from Islamic fundamentalism’ — a fashionable statement these days, one that immediately establishes the person’s secular credentials. It is, of course, false, as we shall see in a moment. But there is a grain of potential truth in it — something that does not put Hinduism at par with Islam, but one that should, instead, serve as a warning to all who keep pushing Hindus around. That grain is the fact that every tradition has in it, every set of scriptures has in it enough to justify extreme, even violent reaction.

From the very same Gita from which Gandhiji derived non-violence and satyagraha, Lokmanya Tilak constructed the case for ferocious response, not excluding violence. From the very same Gita from which Gandhiji derived his ‘true law’, shatham pratyapi satyam, ‘Truth even to the wicked’, the Lokmanya derived his famous maxim, shatham prati shaathyam, ‘Wickedness to the wicked.’

In the great work, Gita Rahasya, that he wrote in the Mandalay prison, the Lokmanya invokes Sri Samartha, ‘Meet boldness with boldness; impertinence by impertinence must be met; villainy by villainy must be met.’ Large-heartedness towards those who are grasping? Forgiveness towards those who are cruel? ‘Even Prahlada, that highest of devotees of the Blessed Lord,’ the Lokmanya recalls, has said, ‘Therefore, my friend, wise men have everywhere mentioned exceptions to the principle of forgiveness.’ True, the ordinary rule is that one must not cause harm to others by doing such actions as, if done to oneself, would be harmful. But, the Mahabharata, Tilak says, ‘has made it clear that this rule should not be followed in a society, where there do not exist persons who follow the other religious principle, namely, others should not cause harm to us, which is the corollary from this first principle.’

The counsel of ‘equability’ of the Gita, he says, is bound up with two individuals; that is, it implies reciprocity. ‘Therefore, just as the principle of non-violence is not violated by killing an evil-doer, so also the principle of self-identification [of seeing the same, Eternal Self in all] or of non-enmity, which is observed by saints, is in no way affected by giving condign punishment to evil-doers.’ Does the Supreme Being not Himself declare that He takes incarnations from time to time to protect dharma and destroy evil-doers? Indeed, the one who hesitates to take the retaliatory action that is necessary assists…