New Delhi: The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are moving away from traditional infiltration routes, instead tapping into a "home-grown" network of illegal immigrants settled in South India, reported IANS.

The recent busting of a Faridabad-based module, coupled with a foiled plot to attack temples in the National Capital, has exposed a sophisticated web spanning from Kerala to Kashmir. Investigations by the Delhi Police Special Cell reveal that terror handlers are now specifically scouting for recruits in South India to execute high-profile attacks in the North.

Why is the South becoming a recruitment hub for North Indian attacks?

According to officials, the logic is as tactical as it is alarming. Handlers like Shabbir Ahmed Lone, a Ganderbal resident and LeT operative currently based in Bangladesh, believe that recruits from the South are "fresh faces." Unlike suspects in the Northeast or West Bengal who are under constant surveillance, these individuals can travel to Delhi or Kolkata without raising immediate red flags.

Recent arrests of six Bangladeshi nationals in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, highlight this "South-to-North" pipeline. These individuals, working in local garment factories, were allegedly being prepared to strike temples in and around Delhi. Similar suspicious activities have been flagged in Bengali camps across Kerala, where operatives are reportedly dangling heavy payouts.

Are illegal documents the new weapon of choice?

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has raised the alarm over a "document-for-devotion" trade. Touts who facilitate illegal entry into India are allegedly providing these immigrants with Aadhaar cards and Voter IDs.

However, these documents come with a deadly "service agreement." Touts ensure these individuals vote in specific constituencies during elections in West Bengal and the Northeast to maintain their cover.

If they fail to comply with orders they are threatened with immediate deportation or "tracking" by the same touts who brought them in.

The election connection: Is there a surge in threats?

Security agencies are on high alert as the recruitment drive coincides with upcoming elections in West Bengal and Assam. The IB warns that terror groups plan to exploit the "election fatigue" of security forces, hoping that a momentary slip-up will allow them to strike.

The mastermind, Shabbir Ahmed Lone, is no stranger to the Indian system. Arrested in 2007 with a cache of AK-47s, he served a jail term until 2019 before fleeing to Bangladesh. From there, he has reportedly been conducting "dry runs" in Delhi and Kolkata, using his South-based recruits to test the waters.

Indian agencies are currently working with Bangladesh counterparts to secure Lone’s extradition, but the Faridabad and Tiruppur cases prove that the threat is no longer just "across the border"—it is often hiding in plain sight.