Hamim's aide arrested as STF probe reveals Bengal CM on Pak operatives' target list

The West Bengal STF has arrested Arpita Sarkar, alleging she worked with Hamim Mondal in a cross-border network targeting senior political figures, including West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The investigation has also revealed that Hamim was allegedly instructed to procure police uniforms to create disturbances during the recent student protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.

In Short

• Investigators traced a Sahibganj digital handle after extortion inputs from Howrah
• Officials said the network received directions from multiple online handlers
• The Chief Minister's movement patterns and security details were allegedly sought

The West Bengal Police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested Arpita Sarkar, an alleged associate of Hamim Mondal, the Burdwan youth arrested over suspected links with Pakistan-based operatives. Investigators claim the duo was part of a network that was allegedly gathering sensitive information and receiving instructions from handlers across the border.

Arpita Sarkar was arrested from Sahibganj in Jharkhand and brought to West Bengal for questioning. According to STF officials, she was in regular contact with Hamim Mondal and allegedly played a role in operations aimed at trapping and abducting targets.

ARREST LINKED TO CROSS-BORDER NETWORK PROBE

The arrest comes a day after Hamim Mondal was picked up from the Renaissance residential complex near the Durgapur Expressway in Burdwan. During the investigation, STF officers uncovered communications between Mondal and several Pakistan-based online handlers.

Addressing the media, STF Inspector General Gaurav Sharma said the probe was triggered after intelligence inputs suggested that a senior minister in Howrah was being extorted and that there was a plan to honey-trap and kidnap his son. Investigators traced a key digital handle operating from Sahibganj, which eventually led them to Hamim and Arpita.

"When we verified the handle, we found that it was in regular contact with a man named Hamim Mondal. That discovery led us to expand the investigation, which subsequently revealed several other suspicious links and activities," Sharma said.

According to the STF, Hamim was in contact with multiple suspicious online accounts, including individuals identified as Rana, Abir Jat, Uzar and Had. Verification of these accounts revealed that they were being operated from Pakistan.

"We found that Hamim was in contact with several suspicious online handles, including accounts identified as Rana, Abir Jat, Uzar and Had. After verification, we established that all these handles were being operated from Pakistan. Acting on this information, we took him into custody on the night of July 30-31," Sharma added.

STF SAYS CM'S MOVEMENTS WERE SOUGHT BY PAKISTAN-BASED HANDLERS

Sharma said that during interrogation, investigators discovered that Pakistan-based operatives had repeatedly sought information about the movement patterns of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. He said the Chief Minister was on the target list of the handlers and that Hamim was being asked to gather details about her movements and security arrangements.

"During interrogation, we uncovered several serious findings. One of the most significant revelations was that the state's Chief Minister was on the target list of these Pakistan-based handlers. They repeatedly sought information about the Chief Minister's movement patterns, particularly any unguarded movements, and instructed him to verify and report such details," Sharma said.

The STF further claimed that Hamim was instructed to procure police uniforms to create disturbances during the recent student protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Investigators are examining whether any operational plans had moved beyond the planning stage.

Officials also said that certain police personnel, political figures and other prominent individuals were allegedly being surveilled or identified as potential targets, though the STF declined to disclose further details.

Both Hamim Mondal and Arpita Sarkar have been produced before a court in Burdwan. Their custodial interrogation is underway as investigators continue to probe the alleged network and its suspected links to Pakistan-based operatives.

- Ends