The West Bengal Police’s Special Task Force (STF) has revealed that state Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was allegedly among the targets of a suspected Pakistan-backed espionage network, even as investigators probe links between the accused and attempts to create disturbances during the students’ protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
The statement comes a day after the arrest of Homim Mondal from Purba Bardhaman district. Subsequently, a women identified as Arpita Sarkar his alleged girl friend from Jharkhand was also arrested. The duo were presented before Bardhaman court following the arrest. The STF obtained 14 days’ police custody to interrogate Mondal over his alleged links with Pakistan-based handlers and the activities of the suspected network. As per probe, the two were allegedly conspiring to honeytrap and kidnap state minister Umesh Ray’s son and extort from his family.
Addressing a press conference, STF IG Gaurav Sharma said the investigation had revealed that Adhikari figured on the alleged target list of Pakistan-based terror groups. “Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was on the target list of Pakistan-based terror groups. The same network tried to create disturbances during the Jantar Mantar students’ protest. We have also seen that there are some police targets, some political targets and some important people who are being targeted in this case,” Sharma said.
As investigation deepens it is learned that Mondal is suspected to be part of an ISI-backed network tasked with collecting intelligence on VIPs, including BJP leaders, recruiting operatives and laying the groundwork for possible terror activities in West Bengal. He further revealed that Sarkar had allegedly honey-trapped several well-known people, including politicians, to obtain information and passed those to Hamim, police said, adding her WhatsApp chats had revealed links to Pakistan.
International sim cards issued in the UK and Mexico were seized from them.The agency suspects they used the SIMs for encrypted communication with their handlers and sleeper cells. Social media check and mobile phone examing revealed Mondal was radicalised through social media before he started working for his Pakistan-based operatives. The handlers, ‘Rana’, ‘Uzair’, ‘Abid Jatt 333’, and ‘Hamad’ are suspected to be the leaders of the Shahzad Bhatti gang, allegedly involved in radicalisation, terror recruitment, and narco-terror activities.