Girl from Hyderabad kept under watch for suspected ISIS links

New Delhi, Dec 11: A girl from Hyderabad, who was allegedly in touch with the arrested executive of Indian Oil Corporation, has been kept under surveillance for her suspected links with ISIS. "The girl in her mid-20s was radicalised online and deeply influenced by the activities of ISIS.

She was in regular touch with many sympathisers of the terrorist group. She is under surveillance but efforts are on to de-radicalise her with the help of family and community leaders," a security official said.

Mohd Sirazudin, the arrested IOC executive, had formed closed groups of ISIS sympathisers, including the Hyderabadi girl and two youths from Maharashtra, in Facebook and Whatsapp and was allegedly spreading ISIS activities online and trying to recruit Indian youths in the Middle-East terrorist group.

"Sirazudin was taken into custody as he was on the verge of turning into a 'lone wolf'," the official said. A 'lone wolf' terrorist is one who indulges in violence in support of some group, movement or ideology but works alone, outside of any command structure and without material assistance from any group.

The Special Operation Group (SOG) and ATS of Rajasthan Police arrested Sirazudin, the marketing manager of IOC, in Jaipur yesterday. Sirazudin, who hails from Gulbarga in Karnataka, was accused of active in flaring up and encouraging Muslim youths for joining ISIS activities, police said. A number of issues of ISIS' online magazine "Dabik", pictures and video were recovered from him.

PTI