KOLKATA: After the arrest of three suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) operatives from West Bengal and neighbouring Jharkhand, a Pakistani national allegedly working as an ISI agent was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police (WBP) in the Habra area along the India-Bangladesh border in North 24 Parganas district on Tuesday.
According to sources, following the interrogation of the suspected ISI agent, Wahab Alam alias Rana Rauf, another person, Mohammad Izaz, was arrested from the Topsia area on the eastern fringes of Kolkata. Izaz allegedly operated as an accomplice of Rana, who had entered India through the Nepal border as an ISI handler, sources said.
Rana has direct links to the Pakistani Army, preliminary investigations by the STF have revealed.
Acting on a tip-off, the STF arrested Rana, who used to stay in Topsia, from Habra on Tuesday night. He allegedly arranged fake Aadhaar and voter ID cards with the help of Izaz.
Initially, Rana operated from Kathmandu, maintaining direct links with the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, and frequently travelled to India.
STF sources also said that Rana would usually share information related to the Indian Army and Railways with the ISI.
Investigating officials are also exploring whether he had any plans to carry out terrorist operations in India ahead of Independence Day.
On 30 July, the STF arrested Hamim Mondal, an operative of the ISI-backed international militant outfit JeM, from Purba Bardhaman district.
An STF team nabbed Hamim Mondal, who claimed to be a resident of Monteswar in Purba Bardhaman, from the upscale Renaissance Complex in the district.
Hamim Mondal had allegedly carried out reconnaissance in the area around Chinar Park in New Town, where West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s residence is located, as part of a larger conspiracy directed by Pakistan-based handlers, according to a police officer involved in the STF investigation.
Hamim and his associates might also have tracked the Chief Minister’s movements at the state secretariat, Nabanna, in Shibpur, Howrah, the officer said.
The disclosures emerged during the interrogation of Hamim and his alleged associates, Arpita Sarkar and Aditya Sinha.
Arpita was arrested from Sahibganj in Jharkhand, while Aditya was arrested from Howrah by the STF following Hamim’s interrogation.
Hamim was allegedly tasked with tracking the Chief Minister’s movements, attending his public engagements and identifying potential vulnerabilities in his security, the officer said.
“Technical evidence, including mobile tower location analysis, established his presence at Chinar Park beyond doubt, though Hamim initially denied the allegations during marathon interrogations following his arrest on 30 July. When confronted with the evidence, he admitted to conducting reconnaissance,” an STF officer said.
He allegedly maintained direct links with the ISI and a network operated by Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti. All evidence and records are being meticulously cross-checked as investigators probe the alleged conspiracy, according to the West Bengal Police STF.
The suspected JeM operatives, Hamim and his accomplice Arpita Sarkar, might have been planning a terrorist attack during a students’ protest rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, an investigating official said.