Now, Pune teen girl under police radar for IS leanings

Technical investigations and contacts helped the ATS identify the girl, a Class XI science student in a city-based college, the TOI report said.

Pune: A teenage girl from Pune, who was in touch with an arrested Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) executive accused of having links with the Islamic State group, has been put under surveillance for her suspected links with the terror outfit.

Mohammed Sirajuddin, the IOC staffer who had allegedly formed groups of IS sympathizers on Facebook and WhatsApp to spread the terror group's activities online, was arrested in Jaipur last week.

The 16-year-old girl, who belongs to an elite Muslim family from Pune, was deeply influenced by IS activities and radicalized online, and she was in regular touch with many sympathizers of the dreaded terrorist group, assistant commissioner of police, of the anti-terrorism squad, Pune unit, Bhanupratap Barge said.

"We have kept the girl under surveillance and efforts are on to de-radicalize her,” a TOI report quoted the police officer as saying.

Her parents and community leaders have been asked to help, he added.

The girl was was about to visit Iran or Syria. IS members were ready to bear her medical education and other expenses. They also had told her that she should be in a position to do anything in her country for Islam.

Technical investigations and contacts helped the ATS identify the girl, a Class XI science student in a city-based college, the report said.

It was revealed that the girl has around 200 friends on Facebook and she was in regular touch with IS sympathizers from different parts of the world on WhatsApp, Twitter and email.