IS recruits mostly self-financed, says Govt

 The funding of Islamic State (IS) in India is “mostly through self-financing” though hawala channel was also used in a couple of occasions, the government said based on interrogation of 24 people arrested for their links with the terror outfit.

Of the 24 arrested, the highest comes from Karnataka and Maharashtra (seven each) followed by Telangana (4) and  Uttar Pradesh (3). There were one each from Tamil Nadu and Jammu and Kashmir.

In a written reply to questions raised by 22 MPs, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said the IS was using both positive and negative imagery to attract recruits from across the world but it has “influenced/attracted very few youth” from India.

With the outfit using various internet-based platforms for propaganda, he said, the intelligence and security agencies monitor the cyber space closely to identify potential recruits. The agencies keep such youth under surveillance and further actions are taken if needed.
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Earlier, government sources had said that around 160 youths, mostly from south India, were under surveillance for their suspicious online activity.

Asked about funding, he said, “The IS funding in India is mostly through self-financing mechanism. However, hawala channel has also been used in or two instances to raise funds.”

He said the government has taken all necessary measures to counter the “incipient threat” posed by the IS, but he refused to give further details saying it cannot be done in the interest of national security.

The minister said the government has a well-established strategy and institutional mechanism to effectively deal with terror financing and money laundering.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act have been strengthened and there are sufficient provisions to combat terror financing, he said. A Terror Funding and Fake Currency Cell has also been set up in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe such cases.