Anti-Terrorism Squad questions Pune girl allegedly 'radicalised' by ISIS sympathisers
Pune: A 16-year-old Muslim girl, who was reportedly radicalised by her ISIS contacts abroad and brain-washed to go to Syria, has been questioned by sleuths of the Pune Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and sent for a de-radicalisation programme, an ATS officer said in Pune.
According to the officer, the girl is a convent educated class XI student, and is studying in a city college.
"The girl was interrogated by the ATS last week after monitoring her movements for many days on getting information about her. It confirmed her initiation by the ISIS."
"The interrogation of the girl revealed that she was ready to go to any extent to carry out the ISIS directive," Pune ATS officer Bhanupratap Barge told PTI.
The girl is now undergoing a de-radicalisation programme with the help of her family members and community religious leaders, who are fully cooperating with us, he added.
According to the ATS, the minor girl allegedly got attracted to the ISIS ideology after watching a documentary on television and subsequently started regularly monitoring news on Al Jazeera channel.
"Later, she used the internet to get in touch with ISIS contacts and got in touch with about 200 young people from different countries. Her interrogation revealed that she was told to come to Syria for medical education and for further initiation," Mr Barge said.
He said that the girl, had recently changed her lifestyle and started wearing burqa, giving up jeans she used to wear before her exposure to the ISIS contacts.
"Even her family members noticed the change in her and felt disturbed," the ATS inspector said.
Mr Barge said the de-radicalisation programme of the ATS with the help of community clergy and family members was "working" for the girl with encouraging results.
Pune has been on the terrorist radar and had witnessed bomb blasts including the German Bakery blast that killed 17 people including many foreigners in 2010.
