Bicycles, shrapnels tell-tale signs of sleeper cells

SLEEPER CELLS AWAKEN: Sleeper cells usually provide logistical support, but have now begun to carry out terror attacks.

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

Television, for politicians with a vision

Featured Slideshows

Related Headlines

powered by

• Serial blasts in UP: Political blame game begins
• United against terrorism? Politicians can't do it
• Homegrown terror outfits change the face of terror

Keywords: Sleeper Cells, Faizabad

New Delhi: It all began when Rahul Gandhi became the target of Jaish-e-Mohammed. Three militants were picked up in Lucknow, and then followed an attack on the three Jaish terrorists as they were being produced in court.

And within three days, there was retaliation with serial blasts rocking three Uttar Pradesh towns.

Investigators point at the use of bicycles and say that the recovery of shrapnels from the blast site are tell-tale signs that a sleeper cell has struck.

Intelligence inputs indicate presence of dozens of sleeper cells in Uttar Pradesh:

• Areas around Deoband, Muzaffarnagar and Baghpat have witnessed a sudden growth of Lashkar sleeper cells.
• The area around Bijnore is now a haven for HuJI sympathisers.
• Hizbul Mujaihedeen is active in the Bahraich belt.
• And Jaish and Lashkar have both activated sleeper cells in Aligarh and Khurja.

These startling facts came to light after the encounter involving Salim Salar, a top Lashkar operative in Lucknow last year.

Investigating agencies have conclusive evidence that he had brought sleeper cells alive in remote corners of UP.

Salar sent over 50 people for training to Bangladesh. Another key operative, Mohammed Zuber, a madarsa teacher in Baghpat was killed in an encounter in Kupwara. Like Salar, Zuber had a hand in creating sleeper cells.

DCP, Special Cell Uttar Pradesh, Alok Kumar says, "Mainly, it is HuJI that is active in these areas and we are keeping an eye on these parts."

The reason for this spurt in sleeper cell activity is not too difficult to guess — Uttar Pradesh shares a porous border with Nepal making infiltration easy.

Sleeper cells are expected to provide logistical support and not carry out terror attacks, but now they are being used to become real terrorists. This is a dangerous trend; a development which is extremely worrying for the intelligence agencies.