JeM-Linked Man Arrested in Bengal Over Alleged Plot Against Adhikari, Delhi Protest
Kolkata: The Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police has arrested Hamim Mondal, a 24-year-old man allegedly linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group, over an alleged conspiracy to target Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and disrupt a student protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Mondal was taken into custody from Purba Bardhaman district two days ago.
According to Inspector General (STF) Gaurav Sharma, Mondal's handlers in Pakistan instructed him to infiltrate the protest site at Jantar Mantar wearing a police uniform and cause unrest. "Pakistani handlers asked Hamim Mondal to infiltrate the student protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi while dressed in a police uniform and carry out disturbances," Sharma told a press conference on Saturday.
The STF also alleged that Mondal was tasked with monitoring the movements of Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. "The Leader of Opposition was one of the targets," said Sharma. "Hamim was asked to gather information on the places where the leader could remain unguarded," the senior officer added.
Separately, Mondal's girlfriend, Arpita Sarkar, was arrested on Friday from Jharkhand. Police said the two were allegedly conspiring to honey-trap and kidnap the son of state minister Umesh Ray, and extort money from his family. Officials claim both were acting at the behest of Pakistani handlers linked to the Shahzad Bhatti gang, which is allegedly involved in radicalisation, terror recruitment, and narco-terror activities.
According to the STF, Sarkar had allegedly honey-trapped several well-known individuals, including politicians, to gather information, which she passed on to Mondal. Her WhatsApp chats reportedly revealed links to Pakistan. The STF has also recovered international SIM cards issued in the UK and Mexico from the two suspects, and suspects they were used for encrypted communication with handlers and sleeper cells.
During the investigation, police found evidence that Mondal had been radicalised through social media before he began working with Pakistan-based operatives. The STF identified several handlers, identified as 'Rana', 'Uzair', 'Abid Jatt 333', and 'Hamad', believed to be associated with the Shahzad Bhatti gang.
Mondal and Sarkar reportedly met on Instagram four years ago and had been in a relationship. The STF said it first zeroed in on Sarkar's social media account during a probe into the honey-trap case, which ultimately led to Mondal's arrest.
A local court has remanded Mondal to 14 days of STF custody. The agency is now working to ascertain the full extent of the terror network, identify other members of the module, and trace their cross-border links. "Given the sensitivity of the issue, more information cannot be disclosed at this stage," Sharma said.
