Srinagar: Terror handlers active in Jammu and Kashmir and across the border are increasingly targeting youth with clean backgrounds, no separatist links, and no criminal record for recruitment, officials familiar with ongoing investigations said.

The shift marks a sharp departure from the recruitment patterns of the early 2000s, when handlers preferred individuals with existing ties to outlawed outfits.

Investigators probing the recently uncovered “white-collar terror module” said a clear pattern emerged among the accused arrested or questioned so far—nearly all of them were highly qualified individuals with no prior involvement in unlawful or anti-national activity.

“The accused persons like Dr Adeel Rather, his brother Dr Muzaffar Rather, and Dr Muzammil Ganaie had absolutely no past criminal record or separatist affiliation,” an official said. “Even their families have a completely clean background.”

He added, “Terror handlers now prefer recruits who can stay under the radar. As one official put it, ‘When a doctor or an academically strong youth gets radicalised, it gives the module a natural cover—nobody suspects them.’”

Officials said this new strategy is deliberate, aimed at using individuals who blend seamlessly into civilian life. A case in point is Dr Umar Nabi, who—despite having no previous record—was driving the explosives-laden car that blew up outside Delhi’s Red Fort metro station on November 10.

The module came to light after threatening posters appeared across walls in Bunpora, Nowgam, in mid-October. Srinagar Police registered a case on October 19 and formed a special team.

CCTV analysis led to the arrest of three men—Arif Nisar Dar, alias Sahil; Yasir-ul-Ashraf; and Maqsood Ahmad Dar, alias Shahid—who were seen pasting the posters. All three had past stone-throwing cases.

Interrogation of the trio led police to Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-Imam from Shopian, who allegedly supplied the posters and is believed to have radicalised the doctors through his proximity to medical circles.

The trail then extended to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where police apprehended Dr Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed and seized large quantities of chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulfur.

Investigators believe the module was operated by a core group of three doctors—Dr Ganaie, Dr Umar Nabi, and the absconding Dr Muzzaffar Rather. The role of Dr Adeel Rather, from whom an AK-56 rifle was recovered, remains under scrutiny.

Officials noted that the shift in recruitment mirrors the evolving security landscape.

“From the early 2000s till 2020, handlers relied heavily on individuals who had already been part of terror networks or had past ideological leanings,” an official said, adding that many were recycled after stints in jail.

However, increased surveillance after 2019 has made handlers “wary of using people already on the security radar,” prompting the shift toward ‘clean-slate recruits’.