The Indian Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) interrogated a 16-year-old girl from Pune, who was planning to join the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) through a person she got to know from Sri Lanka over the internet, The Hindu newspaper reported today.

Confirming the development late Thursday night, ATS sources said that the teenager, who belonged to a good family and was a ‘highly-intelligent’ student in a city-based convent school, was planning to exit India to join the IS.

The arrest came after the ATS began tracking a conversation between the teenager and her recruiters from other countries. The girl allegedly came under the thrall of the terror group four months back through the internet where she came in contact with a person from Sri Lanka and several others from other countries on a variety of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

“The girl was interrogated by the ATS last week after her movements were closely monitored. It confirmed her initiation by the IS. Her grilling revealed that she was ready to go to any extent to carry out the ISIS directives,” Pune ATS officer Bhanupratap Barge said.

Through a series of messages, the IS managed to convince the girl to join their organisation in Syria next year. It also reportedly promised to provide her with medical education. According to police sources, there was a perceptible change in the teenager’s lifestyle in the last few months. The girl had gradually switched from wearing jeans to the conservative Muslim burqa and hijab.

The girl is now undergoing a de-radicalisation programme with the help of her family members and community religious leaders.

-Agencies