Jaipur woman planned to marry JeM chief Masood Azhar's aide, ‘searched for Pakistani terrorists’ after Pahalgam attack
A 38-year-old woman arrested in Jaipur, Rajasthan, last week was allegedly preparing to travel to Pakistan via Nepal to marry a suspected terrorist commander believed
A 38-year-old woman arrested in Jaipur, Rajasthan, last week was allegedly preparing to travel to Pakistan via Nepal to marry a suspected terrorist commander believed to be a close associate of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, officials said on Thursday. The woman, identified as Babita Dhakad alias Khadija, was arrested by the Anti-Terror Squad of Rajasthan Police and booked under various sections of stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on Sunday. Babita is in police custody till June 27. Officials told PTI that the woman is believed to have been manipulated emotionally and was converted to Islam by a Muslim preacher online. They claimed a forensic analysis of Dhakad's electronic devices showed many Pakistani numbers, which included those suspected to be those of Yusuf Azhar, a close relative of the JeM chief, and Qari Zarar, who is wanted in India for several crimes, the officials said. During the investigation, Babita, who lived in her parents' home in Jaipur's Sitapura area, was found to have alleged links with members and supporters of the Pakistan-based banned terrorist organisation, they said.
How Babita made contact with terrorists According to PTI, Babita said she began searching for Pakistani terrorists on social media following the Pahalgam attack in 2025 and gradually developed contacts with several individuals linked to extremist circles. She told officials during the questioning that she started by browsing Facebook pages related to Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and sent friend requests to followers of such pages at random. Over time, she became connected with several individuals out of curiosity, the officials told PTI. "An examination of her mobile phone and social media accounts revealed contacts with several Pakistani nationals and profiles allegedly associated with JeM operatives. She had been communicating with multiple Pakistan-based individuals through Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp," an official linked to the investigation said. "Chats, videos and contact details allegedly linked to members of the banned outfit were recovered from her devices," the official said. He added that Babita has also confessed to have shared one-time passwords (OTPs) connected to Indian mobile numbers with a JeM operative, enabling the use of those numbers on social media and communication platforms there." 'Emotional ties with Abu Ubaidah', invited to work for JeM At some point, she became friendly with Abu Ubaidah, who initiated conversations with her.
The BriefWire