KOLKATA: The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police (WBP) on Friday arrested an activist of the international militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), who used to stay in the New Town area of Kolkata, where Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's residence is located, from Purba Bardhaman district.
An STF team nabbed Hamid Mondal, who claimed himself to be a resident of Kashmir, from the posh restaurant 'Renaissance Complex' in the district early on Friday morning.
Significantly, several important documents in connection with the Chief Minister's regular movements, route maps and security schedules have been seized from the accused by the STF team.
Police suspected that he might have been keeping watch on the movements of the Chief Minister.
According to STF sources, Hamid was a close associate of Sajjad Bhat, a key conspirator of the Pulwama attack in 2025, and was directly linked with the group led by Sajjad.
Hamid used to stay in a rented flat in the New Town area on the outskirts of Kolkata before he shifted to Purba Bardhaman district, sources said, according to preliminary investigations. Suvendu's residence is close to the locality where he used to stay in New Town.
The investigating officials also suspected that the accused might have had clear ideas about when the Chief Minister leaves his residence and which roads he uses.
After following the mobile tower location and digital device testing procedure, the officials also felt that he used to maintain regular contact with the main handlers of the JeM in Kashmir through his encrypted WhatsApp messages.
The officials are exploring more details following rigorous interrogation, sources said, requesting anonymity.