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NEW DELHI: Investigations into the blast adjacent Delhi’s Red Fort connected November 10 past twelvemonth person revealed however a "white-collar" panic module relied connected a blase web of “ghost” SIM cards and encrypted messaging apps to enactment successful interaction with Pakistani handlers.The accused, galore of them highly educated doctors, utilized illegally obtained oregon fraudulently issued SIM cards and aggregate mobile devices to evade surveillance. The findings of this probe subsequently became the ground for a sweeping directive issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) connected November 28, mandating that app-based connection services specified arsenic WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal indispensable stay continuously linked to an progressive carnal SIM paper installed successful the device.A “ghost” SIM paper is simply a mobile transportation that is illegally issued oregon fraudulently activated without being linked to the existent user, information officials said. Such SIMs are typically obtained utilizing forged oregon misused individuality documents, including Aadhaar details of unsuspecting civilians, oregon done bulk activations that bypass verification norms. Investigators accidental these numbers let criminals and panic operatives to pass and usage encrypted messaging applications portion remaining mostly untraceable, posing a important situation to telecom surveillance and instrumentality enforcement agencies.
The ‘dual-phone’ playbookOfficials said the probe uncovered a tactical "dual-phone" protocol followed by the module. Each accused carried 2 to 3 mobile phones. One "clean" handset, registered successful their ain name, was utilized for regular idiosyncratic and nonrecreational connection to debar suspicion. The second, described arsenic a “terror phone”, was utilized exclusively for encrypted connection with handlers successful Pakistan done WhatsApp and Telegram, officials said.The SIM cards utilized successful these secondary devices were issued successful the names of unsuspecting civilians whose Aadhaar details had been misused, the officials told quality bureau PTI. In a parallel development, Jammu and Kashmir Police besides uncovered a abstracted racket successful which SIM cards were issued utilizing fake Aadhaar cards.Among those arrested were Muzammil Ganaie and Adeel Rather, portion Dr Umar-un-Nabi, different cardinal accused, was killed portion driving an explosives-laden conveyance adjacent the Red Fort, officials said.
The Pakistani handlers were identified by the codenames ‘Ukasa’, ‘Faizan’ and ‘Hashmi’.A disturbing trendInvestigators said information agencies noted a disturbing inclination successful which these compromised SIMs remained progressive connected messaging platforms adjacent erstwhile the devices were being operated from Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) oregon Pakistan. By exploiting app features that let continued entree without a carnal SIM wrong the device, handlers were capable to remotely usher the module.Officials said the operatives were directed to larn improvised explosive instrumentality (IED) assembly done online videos and program “hinterland” attacks, adjacent though immoderate of the recruits initially wanted to articulation struggle zones successful Syria oregon Afghanistan.How does the authorities program to tackle this?To plug these vulnerabilities, the Centre invoked the Telecommunications Act, 2023, on with the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, to “safeguard the integrity of the telecom ecosystem”.
Under the caller framework, each Telecommunication Identifier User Entities (TIUEs) person been fixed 90 days to guarantee their applications relation lone erstwhile an progressive SIM paper is contiguous successful the device.The bid besides directs telecom operators to automatically log users retired of platforms specified arsenic WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal if nary progressive SIM is detected. Messaging and societal media platforms, including Snapchat, Sharechat and Jiochat, person been asked to taxable compliance reports to the DoT.“This diagnostic of utilizing apps without a SIM is posing a situation to telecom cyber information arsenic it is being misused from extracurricular the state to perpetrate cyber frauds and panic activities,” the DoT had said portion explaining the rationale down the move.The directive is being fast-tracked successful the Jammu and Kashmir telecom circle. While officials admit that deactivating each expired oregon fraudulent SIMs volition instrumentality time, the determination is being viewed arsenic a important stroke to the integer infrastructure utilized by panic networks to radicalise and negociate “white-collar” operatives.Failure to comply with the caller norms volition pull stringent enactment nether the Telecom Cyber Security Rules and different applicable laws, officials said.The white-collar panic moduleThe “white-collar” panic module began to unravel connected the intervening nighttime of October 18-19, 2025, erstwhile posters of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) appeared connected walls extracurricular Srinagar city, informing of attacks connected constabulary and information forces successful the Valley.Treating the improvement arsenic a superior threat, Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, GV Sundeep Chakravarthy constituted aggregate teams to transportation retired an in-depth investigation.
Based connected the statements of the arrested accused, the probe led constabulary to Al Falah University successful Haryana’s Faridabad, wherever 2 doctors, Ganaie, a nonmigratory of Koil successful southbound Kashmir’s Pulwama, and Shaheen Sayeed from Lucknow, were arrested.A ample cache of arms and ammunition, including 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur, was seized during the operation, officials said.The car detonation adjacent the Red Fort, which claimed 15 lives, is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
