15 hrs ago
LoRa Radios Pose New Communications Challenge for Kashmir Security Forces
Security forces in Kashmir have found a special radio after an encounter in Budgam.
The radio does not need a phone SIM card, mobile tower or Wi-Fi to work.
It can send encrypted messages and location information between devices.
That may make it harder for authorities to track communications using normal phone surveillance.
Similar devices were found at places connected to the Pahalgam attack module.
Officials say the radios appear professionally made and pre-encrypted, but their source and use are still being investigated.
Security agencies are now using equipment to search for the radios’ signals.
Officials say mountains and forests can make this task more difficult.
An encrypted, SIM-less LoRa Ultra handset was recovered after an encounter in Budgam district.
The handset was found alongside an AK-47 and other material, according to the report.
LoRa devices can relay encrypted messages, GPS coordinates and SOS alerts without cellular towers, SIM cards or Wi-Fi.
Similar encrypted LoRa devices were recovered from locations linked to the Pahalgam attack module.
Security agencies are deploying spectrum scanners and direction-finding systems to detect the devices’ low-power transmissions.
- Who
- Jammu and Kashmir security forces and security agencies; the recovered handset was found after an encounter involving Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Hashim Moosa, also known as ‘Fauji’.
- What
- An encrypted, SIM-less LoRa Ultra radio was recovered, highlighting an off-grid communications challenge.
- Where
- Budgam district in central Kashmir; similar devices were reportedly recovered from locations linked to the Pahalgam attack module.
- When
- The articles do not provide a specific date.
- Why
- The radios can communicate without cellular networks, potentially limiting the digital traces available through conventional mobile surveillance.
Security concern
Operational uncertainty
Effect on surveillance
Security concern
Officials say off-grid radios can avoid conventional telecom networks and complicate intelligence gathering, particularly in mountainous and forested areas.
Operational uncertainty
The devices’ precise source and extent of use remain under investigation, so their overall role is not yet established.
Key facts
- Device
- Military-grade LoRa Ultra handset
- Recovery
- Found after an encounter in Budgam district alongside an AK-47 and other material
- Network requirements
- Does not depend on cellular towers, SIM cards or Wi-Fi
- Reported capabilities
- Can relay encrypted messages, GPS coordinates and SOS alerts through mesh networks
- Similar devices
- Recovered from locations linked to the Pahalgam attack module
- Detection measures
- Security agencies are deploying RF spectrum scanners and direction-finding systems
- Investigation status
- The devices’ precise source and extent of use remain under investigation
Sources
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