West Bengal Police's Special Task Force (STF) has claimed that an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) operative arrested from Purba Bardhaman was tasked by Pakistan-based handlers to infiltrate a recent protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in a police uniform and gather intelligence on the movements of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Hamim Mondal was arrested two days ago. STF Inspector General Gaurav Sharma said the accused was instructed to enter the protest site disguised as a police officer and create unrest.
“The chief minister was one of the targets. Hamim was asked to gather information on the places the chief minister could remain unguarded,” Sharma said.
Mondal has been remanded to 14 days’ STF custody. His girlfriend, Arpita Sarkar, was also arrested from Jharkhand. The STF alleged the duo conspired to honeytrap and kidnap state minister Umesh Ray’s son for extortion while working for Pakistan-based handlers.
Investigators said WhatsApp chats and other digital evidence indicated cross-border links. The STF added that the probe is underway to identify other members of the alleged terror module and establish the full extent of its network.