Terrorists using ‘Calculator’ app to avoid surveillance

With the number of militants infiltrating from PoK showing a steep rise this year, the Army found that terrorists carried a smart phone with no messages stored in it.

The Army's signal unit, which relies mainly on technical intercepts like usage of wireless and mobile phones by infiltrating terror groups to track them, is burning midnight oil along with National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and other agencies to crack this mechanism used by the terrorists. 

According to an Army official, the technology was first used by a US-based company during Hurricane 'Katrina' so that the affected residents could remain in touch with each other. During interrogation of some of the terrorists of Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT), the agencies came to know that the terror outfit had modified it and created an application 'calculator' which can be downloaded on smart phones attached to the off-air network created specifically for them. 

The technology is based on the concept of 'cognitive digital radio' that enables users to turn their smartphones into peer-to-peer, off-grid communication tools. The network generates its own signal through proprietary adhoc networking protocols and automatically coordinates with other units within range which enables users to send and receive text messages, share their GPS locations on offline maps regardless of access to WiFi or cellular service. 

The terrorists apprehended had their phones paired with the radio sets along the border and were receiving instructions about the route and terrain, official sources quoting interrogation details of some apprehended militants said. In a related development, the army is trying to plug the holes in the anti-infiltration grid and has already started redeployment of troops. The infiltration of terrorists from across the border by end of April this year stands at around 35 in Kashmir area.