How the LeT pays and rewards terrorists

Terming the Mumbai attack as a spectacular act of terror, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence would have rewarded each of the Mumbai attackers Rs 2 lakh had they returned alive.

Intelligence Bureau officials told rediff.com that the LeT has a classification for terror strikes and attacks such as the Mumbai one are termed as spectacular acts of terror. The classification depends on the magnitude of the attacks and the extent of the damage caused.

The LeT has also classified the payments to be made to local and international terrorists. For instance, the Mumbai attackers were classified as local fidayeen and hence their payments were lesser compared to the international fidayeen. Indians who opt to be part of fidayeen missions are classified as international fidayeen, according to the IB.

At the time of recruitment, the locals are paid Rs 25,000 while the amount for the international fidayeen is Rs 50,000. Apart from this the locals are paid Rs 10,000 a month as against the Rs 15,000 per month for an international one. Once a local fidayeen completes a mission, he is paid Rs 250,000 as against Rs 300,000 for an international one. The reward for a spectacular act of terror is an extra Rs 200,000 in case of both types of fidayeen.

The LeT has also ensured that the families of these fidayeen are taken care of. The families are paid Rs 5,000 per month in case there is a death of a fidayeen. This amount too is the same in case of both types of fidayeen. Although the amount is fixed, the LeT has been very liberal in terms of the money to be paid to families. Sabahuddin, the LeT's chief of operations in Nepal, said during his interrogation that the LeT always handed over money to fidayeen families whenever he requested them to do so. He also said that at the time of recruitment he was assured that his family would be taken care of for life.

The IB says that there is a deliberate attempt by the ISI to pay more to international recruits so that they are lured in easily. There is a deliberate attempt to outsource terror to ensure that the Pakistan link does not crop up.