SRINAGAR: The Blackberry Messenger (BBM) application has once again surfaced in terror-related networks in Jammu and Kashmir, with the interrogation of a key Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative revealing the use of multiple communication apps, including some banned platforms, to coordinate with other members, officials said on Sunday.An LeT module tasked with establishing bases outside Jammu and Kashmir was busted by Srinagar Police early last month. The operation led to the arrest of Abdullah alias Abu Hureira, a resident of Kasur in Pakistan’s Punjab, along with another Pakistani operative Mohammed Usman Jatt, and several overground workers (OGWs) in Kashmir.Given its interstate and international dimensions, the case has now been taken over for further investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).During the investigation, Abu Hureira reportedly told investigators that he and his associates had been using multiple messaging applications, including BBM, Element, Threema and Dust, along with mainstream platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype and Signal, officials said.BBM first came under the scanner of investigative agencies in 2009, when the then government had threatened to ban its use in India unless its then-owner, Canada-based Research In Motion (RIM), set up servers in the country to provide access to security agencies. The company eventually agreed, and servers were installed between 2011 and 2012.However, in 2019, BBM shut down its free services and shifted to BBM Enterprise, a paid version primarily designed for corporate users. After Abu Hureira’s statement, investigators are now tracking the owners of BBM Enterprise accounts allegedly used by terrorists and plan to take up the matter with the service provider, officials said.Although digital platforms have been under surveillance in Jammu and Kashmir since 2016, concerns over the cybersecurity environment have continued to grow.Officials have repeatedly flagged the use of highly secure and privacy-focused messaging apps such as Threema, a Swiss-based instant messenger that offers end-to-end encryption and allows users to remain largely anonymous, as it does not require a phone number or email for registration.In May 2023, the Center banned 14 messaging applications on the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The list included Element, a collaboration platform operated by London-based Element Creations Limited. The app is based on the decentralized Matrix open-standard protocol.Element’s removal was specifically linked to concerns that terror modules operating in Jammu and Kashmir were allegedly using it to evade conventional surveillance mechanisms.Similarly, apps such as Dust (formerly Cyber Dust), which focus on messages disappearing within 24 hours or immediately after being read, have come under increased scrutiny. Officials say such features can hinder real-time intelligence gathering.These applications are reportedly common among terror groups, which often use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access and operate them.Officials further noted that the widespread availability of the internet has made social media an effective tool for communication and information sharing, which, in some cases, has enabled terrorist organizations to expand and strengthen their networks. They also warned that some people, posing as extreme nationalists, have been identified as having affiliations with radical groups, including the banned Jamaat-e-Islami.(With PTI inputs)
