Online recruitment by ISIS major security challenge for India: Rajnath Singh

Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has admitted that online recruitment by Islamic State militant group or the ISIS has become a major security challenge for India.

As per a report in the Indian Express, Rjanath also described Jammu and Kashmir as a problem because of the fact that Pakistan's focus was on it.

However, the Home Minister said that he was happy that Muslim families were stopping youth who were getting attracted to the militant group.

At the same time Singh said that the Indian forces were at work.

The Union Minister made the observations while giving lecture on “National Security: Challenges and Strategy”.

Meanwhile, on September 12, an Indian woman, who was arrested in Hyderabad for her alleged involvement in recruitment for ISIS terror outfit, was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court.

Afsha Jabeen, alias 'Nicky Joseph', who hails from Tolichowki area but had been portraying herself as a British national while luring youth for ISIS through social media, was deported by the UAE after which she was arrested by Cyberabad police.

The 37-year-old woman was deported along with husband and children, officials had earlier said.

Jabeen was tracked in Abu Dhabi and after initial questioning. She was deported to Hyderabad where sleuths took her custody at the Rajiv Gandhi International airport and questioned her. Police then arrested her and registered a case against her, as per PTI.

According to Cyberabad Police, she is a co-accused in the case involving Salman Mohiuddin, also from Hyderabad, who was arrested in January this year at the airport when he was preparing to board a flight to Dubai on way to Syria via Turkey.

On January 16 this year, Salman Mohiuddin, a US-returned Hyderabadi on his way to Turkey to join ISIS, was arrested by Cyberabad police at the international airport for allegedly trying to leave the country to join the terror group, police said.

The 32-year-old US-returned engineering graduate, who is a resident of Bazarghat here, was trying to join ISIS by travelling to Dubai and from there to Syria via Turkey, the police said.

After that arrest, Afsha came under the lens of Indian security agencies as Salman had allegedly confessed during questioning to have opened several Facebook accounts along with one 'Nicky Joseph', a "British national" living in Dubai.

He had said that she had influenced and invited him to join her in Dubai in order to go to Syria.

Both of them allegedly indoctrinated and motivated several youth via social media to get attracted towards the activities of ISIS and Jihad, the officials said.

(With PTI inputs)