Jaish Operative Arrested in Bengal Planned to Target CM, Sabotage Protest

An alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed operative, identified as Hamid Mondal, was arrested in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district and brought to Kolkata for interrogation. Security agencies revealed that Mondal had planned to target Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and sabotage a recent students' protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.

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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.

According to IG (Special Task Force) Gaurav Sharma, Mondal's links with Pakistan-based handlers were established. He was tasked with monitoring the chief minister's movements and identifying opportunities for an attack. The STF also stated that Mondal planned to procure a police uniform to infiltrate the Jantar Mantar protest and carry out sabotage.

Preliminary investigations suggest that several other police officers and political leaders, besides Adhikari, were also on the terror module's radar. A "honeytrap" plot has also surfaced with the arrest of Arpita Sarkar, Mondal's alleged associate and girlfriend. Officials claim the pair conspired to lure the son of a state minister into a honeytrap, followed by abduction and extortion, acting on instructions from Pakistan-based handlers.

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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.

Investigators recovered international SIM cards from the accused, suspected to have been used for encrypted communication with handlers abroad to strengthen sleeper cells and terror networks. Mondal was reportedly radicalized through social media before connecting with Pakistan-based operatives linked to the Shahzad Bhatti group.

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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.