Kerala Mother, Stepfather Charged Under UAPA For 'Luring' Son To Join ISIS

A 16-year-old boy from Thiruvananthapuram was allegedly persuaded to join the Islamic State by his mother and stepfather, prompting police to register a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA.

The case was filed at the Venjaramoodu Police Station after the family of the teenager alerted authorities about suspected radicalisation.

According to police, the woman from Pathanamthitta converted to Islam and remarried a man from Vembayam. The couple were living in the UK. During the boy's visit to the UK, they allegedly showed him videos and attempted to draw him towards ISIS ideology.

After the couple returned to Kerala, they admitted the boy to a religious study centre in Attingal. Teachers there reportedly noticed a sudden shift in his behaviour and informed his mother's relatives, who then approached the police.

The Attingal Deputy Superintendent of Police is leading the investigation under the UAPA. The NIA (National Investigation Agency), the anti-terror agency, has also begun gathering preliminary information.

Sources told NDTV that top officers, including the Thiruvananthapuram Rural Superintendent of Police and the Anti-Terror Squad, are closely involved in the investigation. Police are also verifying the credibility of the allegations, as they are also checking if the biological father, who wants custody of the child, has any role in the accusations. While another angle being examined suggests the couple may have links to an accused in a previous NIA case.