Police in Thiruvananthapuram have registered a UAPA case against a UK-based woman and her husband for allegedly attempting to radicalise her 16-year-old son and persuade him to join the Islamic State. The Venjaramoodu Police filed the case after the boy’s relatives alerted authorities to suspected indoctrination.
Relatives Alert Police After Behavioural Change
According to police, the woman, originally from Pathanamthitta had converted to Islam and remarried a man from Vembayam. The couple had been living in the UK. During the teenager’s visit to the UK, the two allegedly showed him ISIS propaganda videos and attempted to draw him towards extremist ideology.
After returning to Kerala, the couple enrolled the boy in a religious study centre in Attingal. Teachers there reportedly noticed a sudden behavioural shift and informed his mother’s relatives, who subsequently approached the police.
Complaint From Mother Leads to Probe
The case was triggered after the woman lodged a complaint accusing the boy of molesting his younger sister. Police say this was filed after the boy left to stay with his biological father. When questioned, the teen told investigators that his mother and stepfather had attempted to indoctrinate him and expose him to ISIS content.
Multiple Agencies Involved
The Attingal Deputy Superintendent of Police is leading the UAPA investigation. The NIA has also begun collecting preliminary information. Sources told NDTV that senior officers, including the Thiruvananthapuram Rural Superintendent of Police and the Anti-Terror Squad, are closely monitoring the case.
Police are additionally examining whether the biological father’s custody battle may be influencing the allegations, and are checking for possible links between the couple and an accused in a previous NIA case.
The investigation is ongoing.
(Source: NDTV)
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