In a first-of-its-kind case in Chhattisgarh, the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has detained two minor boys from Raipur for alleged links with the global terrorist organisation Islamic State (ISIS).
Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Vijay Sharma confirmed the development on Wednesday, terming it a serious threat emerging through cyberspace.
Addressing the media, Dy CM Sharma said the teenagers were operating under direct instructions from a Pakistan-based ISIS module. "After detailed investigation and technical surveillance, ATS detained these two minors.
Preliminary probe reveals they were in contact with Pakistan-handlers who were using fake Instagram IDs to radicalise youth," he stated.
The minors, influenced by extremist content online, were actively trying to propagate ISIS ideology and recruit others. "They had sufficient knowledge of ISIS activities and were extensively using social media in the name of the terror outfit. They were not only radicalised themselves but were also attempting to influence other youngsters," Sharma added.
According to senior police officials, Pakistani handlers were running sophisticated online operations targeting vulnerable Indian adolescents. Minors were added to secret Instagram group chats where they were systematically brainwashed, exposed to violent jihadist propaganda, and encouraged to spread ISIS content.
Evidence suggests the handlers were motivating the boys to establish a local ISIS module in Chhattisgarh to destabilise internal security.
The ATS, through continuous cyber patrolling and coordination with central agencies, traced the suspects using technical and digital evidence. Both teenagers have been taken into custody, and further interrogation is underway to map the full network.
"This is the first ISIS-related detention of minors in Chhattisgarh. We are investigating if more youth have been radicalised," Sharma said, appealing to citizens to immediately report any suspicious anti-national social media accounts or handles promoting extremism to the nearest police station or cyber cell.
Officials said the case highlights the growing menace of online radicalisation by foreign-based terror modules targeting impressionable teenagers through popular social media platforms.
Enhanced monitoring of cyberspace has been ordered across the state. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been informed, and a formal case under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is likely to be registered soon.
(With inputs from IANS)
