Dalit UP girl escapes alleged radicalisation plot in Kerala

A 15-year-old Dalit girl from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly lured from her village and taken to Kerala, where she was coerced into religious conversion and targeted for recruitment into terror-linked activities, the state police said on Monday.

The suspected radicalisation plot came to light after the minor managed to escape and contacted her mother with the help of local police at Thrissur railway station in Kerala. Acting swiftly, authorities brought the girl back to Prayagraj, where she is now under protection at a One Stop Centre.

According to DCP (Ganga Nagar) Kuldeep Singh Gunawat, the girl had been missing since May 8. She was allegedly enticed by a 19-year-old woman, Darkhsha Bano, who along with a man named Mohammed Kaif, has been arrested. A third accused, who allegedly issued threats to the girl’s family over the phone, is yet to be identified.

Initial investigation suggests the girl was first offered money, then pressured to convert and eventually pushed towards extremist activity. She told the police that other minor girls were also being targeted by the same group.

India