Allah sent ATS to save our daughter: De-radicalised Pune girl's family

When the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad ATS marched into the home of a 17yearold Pune girl suspected of being an Islamic State recruit she knew exactly why they were there Mein ISIS ko dawat deti hoon roz I give daily invitations to ISIS was her brazen response when the officers asked her whether she knew why they were looking for her For her family though the revelation was a bolt from the blueAlso read Scramble to stem spread of Islamic State ATS blocks 80 ISIS websitesldquoWe could not digest it at first when the police entered our home and explained why they had come We had no clue that she was under such negative influence We are Muslim but we hold progressive beliefs We had educated my niece in a good convent school she is a good studentrdquo said the girls uncleTrue over the past few months they had watched her undergo a radical change ndash she had stopped wearing jeans and other Western attire that she used to adore earlier and refused to step out of the house without a burkha Her ideas about Islam had grown orthodox which became evident in the many debates she began to hold about the religion They had assumed this was all part of a teenagers exploration of faith They never imagined that she had been brainwashed and recruited by extremists from the ISIS terror outfitIt was particularly shocking since she hails from a welleducated family that doted on her ldquoShe is a star student who scored 90 in Std X and dreamed of studying Medicine or Engineering Right now she is studying Science in Std XI at a junior college in Punerdquo said another family memberThe ATS officers then explained how the teenager had been slowly radicalised by ISIS members over the past four months after she got in touch with them through social medialdquoAn ATS officer said ldquoThe girl had been trained to stay calm and not fear cops She spilled the beans when we took her to our office with the consent of her mother and other relatives It became clear that she had been brainwashed over four months It was her curiosity about ISIS that had landed her in troublerdquo said an ATS officerHe added ldquoThe girl became curious about ISIS after she saw a documentary film about them She started surfing the Internet and soon came into contact with ISIS agents on Facebook She connected with them through Facebook Twitter and other social media and messaging platforms She became more active after her mother recently gave her a smart phonerdquoThe baitWith her father out of station it was the girls mother who took most of the responsibility for her upbringing ldquoISIS had lured her by promising to sponsor her education in medicine She was innocent and thought that if her fees were covered by them she would not be a burden on her mother who works day and night for her The ISIS agents claimed that as a doctor she could help victimised people in Syriardquo said an officialAlso read ATS questions Pune girl radicalised by ISIS sympathisersThe ATS officers and the girls family worked along with Muslim clerics and scholars to clear her questions about Islam and deradicalise her ldquoAllah sent the ATS as our messiah to save our daughter from evil ideology This is a second life for her We will try to forget all that has happened as a bad dream and try to teach her that Islam is about harmony We hope that in the future our girl will make the country proudrdquo said the family membersmdash Inputs by Saurabh VaktaniaInvestigationThrough Facebook the girl had come into contact with suspected ISIS agent Mohammad Sirajuddin who is an Indian Oil Corporation IOC manager in Rajasthan He was arrested in Jaipur on December 5 After scrutinising his laptops the cops got on the trail of the girl in Pune and went to question her accompanied by women officers They are now also going through all her contacts to see what other ISIS links may be foundNot off the hookOfficials from the ATS said they would continue to investigate the case and then take a decision on the teenagers fate ldquoEven if the girl is a minor she is 17 years old We are deeply scrutinizing her chats her contacts and her recent activity If anything comes up we will definitely register a case against the girl and arrest her We have not given her a clean chit yetrdquo said a top officer Meanwhile the girl will continue to be counselled by Muslim scholars as well as a psychiatrist said the policeCops appeal to parentsAssistant Commissioner of Police Bhanupratap Barge incharge of the ATS unit in Pune said ldquoWe appeal to parents to keep an eye on their children They should observe their ward and try to talk to them If they are not able to communicate with them parents can approach us and we will help them We are also thankful that the girls family was very cooperative which helped us to pull her out within 10 daysrdquo