In what could be an ominous sign of the impending trouble, the RAW has warned that the terror groups in Jammu & Kashmir have decided to loot protective gear from the security forces, even by killing them, in the Valley. The terrorists have already been snatching weapons from the forces’ personnel in both the Valley as well as the Maoist-hit States.

The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), country’s premier external intelligence agency, has warned that the terror groups operating in Jammu & Kashmir are planning to acquire protective gear like bulletproof helmets by any means like snatching, stealing or even killing security forces personnel.

The agency said that Maoists are also estimated to have been using bullet-resistant helmets and bulletproof vests snatched from the security forces in Chhattisgarh.

The input was generated by the RAW on March 19 and has been passed on to stakeholders engaged in law and order roles as also counter-terror operations in the Valley like the Army, Rashtriya Rifles and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), sources said.

As per the chatter of militant outfits on the social media, intercepted by RAW, Abdul Ghani Khwaja (Al Badr Operational Commander) died due to bullet injury in the head and he could have survived, if he had been wearing the bulletproof helmet, sources said, adding liquidation of Khwaja has prompted the terror groups to acquire bullet-proof helmets.

Khwaja was killed by the security forces in an operation in Sopore on March 9.

After the killing of Khwaja, the terrorist outfits have tasked their cadres to make efforts to acquire bulletproof helmets “by any means, including snatching, stealing or even by killing security forces personnel.”

According to the intercepts, the terror outfits have  highlighted Maoists are using such helmets in Chhattisgarh after snatching the items from security personnel.

The security forces have sensitised their formations to alert their troops in their jurisdictions regarding the latest input and remain extra alert and highly vigilant while on security duties to avoid incidents of snatching of their protective gears, officials said.

Apart from bulletproof vests, the forces also use bullet-resistant helmets and patkas as protective gears.

During counter-terror operations, the security forces have to simultaneously manage fire, both in the front and rearwards as the locals indulge in arson and stone pelting to deter the troops from capturing or eliminating the holed up terrorists.

“The terror groups have also acquired armour piercing rounds to target bullet-resistant vehicles of the forces as both the stakeholders in the security establishment as well as the manufacturers reveal specifications of the level of armour protection in the open domain while tendering or marketing of their products. There is no coherent policy of keeping classified the technical specifications like the level of protection provided by the armour used in the vehicles or protective gear used by the forces there,” a DIG rank official with the intelligence wing of the CRPF said here.

While the terror groups seek to remain dynamic and keep changing their tactics at the behest of Pakistan’s covert agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the agencies here have not issued any advisory to the forces not to reveal protection details of the armoured vehicles or protective body gears while procurement of such vehicles and equipment through open bidding, another official said.