LoRa Ghost Network Emerges as New Challenge for Security Forces in J&K

Security forces conducting counter-terror operations in the forests of Jammu and Kashmir are reportedly facing a new communication challenge. According to security agency sources, terrorists are allegedly using encrypted LoRa, or Long Range, Low Power, devices to maintain communication without relying on SIM cards, mobile towers or Wi-Fi. The issue came into focus after an electronic device was reportedly recovered from the body of Lashkar-e-Taiba operational commander Mohammad Asif, alias Hashim Musa, following an encounter in Budgam. A security official reportedly identified the device as a LoRa-based communication unit rather than a conventional smartphone or walkie-talkie.

According to officials, such devices can reportedly transmit text messages, GPS locations and emergency alerts over several kilometres using low-power radio frequencies. Security agencies suspect that these devices may be helping militants establish private communication networks in remote forest and mountainous areas, making conventional tracking more difficult. Similar encrypted LoRa devices and SIM-free burner phones were reportedly recovered during counter-terror operations following the Pahalgam attack. Agencies are also examining the origin and configuration of the devices. Security personnel have reportedly raised suspicions about possible Pakistan-based supply and potential Chinese technology involvement, though these links have not been publicly established as fact. Authorities are working to detect the radio frequencies using spectrum scanners and other electronic surveillance measures.