Mother, stepfather booked under UAPA in Kerala for allegedly forcing minor to join ISIS

Venjaramoodu, Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police have registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against a woman and her husband for allegedly attempting to radicalise a 16-year-old boy and persuade him to join the banned terror organisation ISIS.

The incident took place in Vembayam under the Venjaramoodu police station limits.

According to police, the woman from Pathanamthitta had married a man from Vembayam after converting to his religion. After the marriage, the man allegedly began repeatedly urging the woman’s son from her first marriage to join ISIS.

The couple later moved to the UK, and when the boy was brought there, they allegedly showed him videos promoting the Islamic State and tried to convince him to join the group. Upon returning to Kerala, they enrolled the boy in a religious school in the Attingal area

The school authorities noticed a drastic change in the teenager’s behaviour and informed the mother’s relatives. After questioning the boy and learning about the alleged attempts to radicalise him, the relatives approached the police.

Police investigation confirmed that the boy was being encouraged to join ISIS, following which a UAPA case was registered. The probe is being led by Attingal DySP Manjulal. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also begun collecting information related to the case.