JeM Operative Arrested In West Bengal For Plot To Target CM Suvendu Adhikari

The Special Task Force (STF) arrested suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Mohammed Hamim Mondal in Purba Bardhaman district on Friday, before bringing him to Kolkata for interrogation, PTI reported.

Mondal tracked the Chief Minister. He trailed West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to map his daily routine, security agencies stated. The suspect planned to obtain a police uniform to disrupt student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, PTI reported. Initial inquiries revealed the terror network also targeted other politicians and police officers.

STF Inspector General Gaurav Sharma said the investigation established Mondal's links with Pakistan-based handlers and that he was working at their behest. "The chief minister was one of the targets. Hamim had been assigned by Pakistan-based handlers the task of keeping a watch on the CM's movements. He was asked to gather information on the places the chief minister could remain unguarded," Sharma told PTI.

Honeytrap and Abduction Plot

The STF also arrested Arpita Sarkar, Mondal's associate and girlfriend, on Friday. The duo conspired to honey-trap, abduct and extort the son of a West Bengal minister of state, STF officers stated. Another STF officer said the probe into the module began after investigators received inputs about the conspiracy to extort money from the minister and abduct his son using a honey-trap.

Overseas handlers directed the plot. These operatives had links to the Shahzad Bhatti gang, STF officers stated. Sarkar and Mondal aimed to build close ties with powerful individuals to extract classified data following orders from their foreign handlers.

"Our investigation has revealed a specific plan to lure the minister's son into a honey-trap, followed by kidnapping and blackmail. The conspiracy was directed by Pakistan-based handlers. We are probing the precise role of each accused and whether others were involved," a senior STF officer told PTI.

Encrypted Communications and Handlers

Officers seized foreign SIM cards. The search yielded communication chips originating from the United Kingdom and Mexico. Online platforms radicalised Mondal before he established contact with Pakistani handlers from the Shahzad Bhatti group, Sharma said.

"The SIM cards are suspected to have been used for encrypted communication with handlers operating from abroad and to facilitate the strengthening of sleeper cells and the terror network in different parts of the country," Sharma told PTI.

Instagram served as the initial contact point. Mondal later migrated to encrypted platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Element X and Session to message his handlers in Pakistan, STF officers informed. "During the investigation of his mobile phone and social media chat history, we have found some very serious information. He was in touch with several Pakistan-based handlers through encrypted platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram," Sharma added, PTI reported.

Four handlers were unmasked. Detectives linked the aliases 'Rana', 'Uzair', 'Abid Jatt 333' and 'Hamad' to the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti gang. The syndicate runs radicalisation programs, narco-terror operations and extremist recruitment drives, the STF stated.