The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) de-radicalised 86 people in the last two years as part of its efforts to wean away misguided youth from the path of extremism in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, a senior official said on Sunday.
Those who had strayed in the name of ‘jihad’ and brought into the mainstream include well-educated people like an aeronautical engineer and an IT professional, he said.
Radicalised online
He said all these people, including eight women, had come in contact with their handlers via social networking sites and were radicalised online.
They were on the verge of joining the IS or planning to work for it, but the law-enforcement agencies monitored their activities and successfully brought them back to the normal life, he said.
The ATS approached the family members of these people and also roped in their community’s spiritual leaders and counsellors. After continuous efforts, all these people had been brought back into the mainstream, he said.
The ATS, with the help of the government, offered training for suitable jobs and small loans through banks to start their own business, the official said.
“It is our duty to bring them on the right track by counselling and all other efforts of de-radicalisation,” Maharashtra’s ATS chief Atulchandra Kulkarni said.
