Dark-web syndicates wage low-cost war on Indian judiciary

Indian intelligence agencies report a surge in hoax threats targeting schools, airlines, and the judiciary, allegedly orchestrated by international syndicates and dark web groups, including Al-Qaeda and ISI-linked psy-ops, aiming to spread fear, economic loss, and disrupt judicial functioning

New Delhi: The latest round of hoax threats that the Indian judiciary has been receiving across the country is the clear continuation of psy-ops against India. In the last year and a half, schools and airlines have been receiving such hoax calls.

Officials who are investigating these cases say that these are not one-off incidents, but a coordinated effort to scare the Indian people and keep them on tenterhooks.

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Intelligence agencies have been warning that this is an operation controlled by international players. It is a low-cost operation, but it can result in significant losses. For instance, when a school receives such a threat, in most cases, the agencies are aware that it is a hoax. However, protocol demands that the necessary checks have been carried out, and the school can reopen only when the green signal is given.

With regard to the recent threats that the courts have been receiving, the agencies have learnt that it is a message that is being sent to the judiciary by some criminal elements.

Officials do not rule out either the underworld or the Khalistani elements being behind this. In such cases, the criminal syndicates look to threaten the judiciary, which is trying cases against their members. The same was observed when Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu received a spate of such cases around five years back.

The probe found that a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda called the Base Movement was behind this. They were attempting to threaten and scare the judiciary to send out a message that the judges had been unfair to Abdul Madani, who was accused of being involved in the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts.

Hoax calls have been increasing in recent months. The year 2024 was a horrible one for the airline industry. The hoax calls led to flights getting delayed or forced into an emergency landing. The year 2024 witnessed 79 hoax bomb calls, which led to the airlines facing losses worth crores of rupees.

The agencies have learnt that there is a secret dark web group that is behind these calls. It is an organised racket aimed at spreading fear and also causing economic losses.

The ISI too has a wing which is dedicated to psy-ops. This wing aims to spread panic through hoax calls, fake news and fake propaganda. For the ISI, this is a low-cost operation with no risk. They run this racket from various parts of the world.

Without risking a live operation in India and with no need for an infiltration, the job of spreading panic and causing losses is done sitting at some remote place. Another official said that during their investigation, they have also found that sometimes the calls are made for personal reasons.

People who are late to the airport often make such calls to delay the flight. In the case of the court calls, too, there have been some cases when a litigant has had an axe to grind, as he may have lost a case. However, going by the recent cases, it is more than just a personal cause.

It is a well-coordinated operation by a big syndicate aimed at derailing the Indian judiciary. Even though the agencies knew that these calls were fake, they could not take any chances. The police were in overdrive mode with the evacuations and investigation.

Every threat element has to be eliminated before the green signal can be given, officials say. Due to the recent incidents, a considerable amount of court time was lost. This comes at a time when an overburdened judiciary is already being criticised for high pendency of cases. Even in the aftermath of the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict pronounced by the Supreme Court, the Intelligence agencies had learnt of a plot whereby some elements were planning to carry out a sustained attack on the judiciary.