West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was among the high-profile targets of Pakistan-based terror operatives, the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) revealed following the arrest of two key suspects linked to cross-border handlers.
The STF confirmed the arrest of Hamim Mondal from Burdwan and his associate Arpita Sarkar from Sahibganj, Jharkhand. Investigators allege that both were operating under direct instructions from Pakistan-based operatives associated with the Shahzad Bhatti gang—a syndicate known for radicalisation, narco-terrorism, and recruitment for extremist operations.
Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari on terror target list
Addressing a press conference, STF Inspector General Gaurav Sharma stated that Mondal had been repeatedly instructed by his handlers to gather granular intelligence regarding Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s security detail and official movements.
“Our state’s Honourable Chief Minister was on their target list,” IG Gaurav Sharma said. “Hamim Mondal was tasked with studying the Chief Minister’s movement patterns to identify vulnerabilities when his security cover might be lighter.”
Investigators noted that digital evidence extracted from Mondal’s devices revealed references to other prominent political leaders and police officers as potential targets.
Honey-trap plot led STF to cross-border network
The multi-state operation unfolded after intelligence agencies flagged an extortion and abduction plot targeting a senior politician’s family in Howrah.
The extortion blueprint: According to STF officers, handlers in Pakistan directed a plot to honey-trap and kidnap the son of a Howrah-based politician for ransom and blackmail.
Jharkhand connection: Tracing suspicious social media profiles used in the operation, investigators located Arpita Sarkar in Sahibganj, Jharkhand. Sarkar and Mondal, who had been in a relationship for four years after connecting on Instagram, were allegedly coordinating the operation together.
Encrypted apps & foreign SIM cards recovered
Digital forensics of Mondal’s mobile phone uncovered extensive communications with several Pakistan-based handles using aliases such as ‘Rana,’ ‘Uzair,’ ‘Abid Jatt 333,’ and ‘Hamad.’
The communication protocol involved shifting initial social media contacts to encrypted communication platforms:
Platforms used: WhatsApp, Telegram, Element X, and Session.
Foreign SIM recovery: Officers seized international SIM cards issued in the United Kingdom and Mexico, which investigators suspect were utilized to evade local surveillance and facilitate sleeper cell activities across India.
Plot to infiltrate CJP protests at Jantar Mantar
The probe has also established a direct link to the recent student agitations organized by the youth organization Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in New Delhi.
According to STF IG Gaurav Sharma, Mondal’s handlers had tasked him with procuring police uniforms to infiltrate and provoke unrest during the demonstrations at Jantar Mantar.
Both suspects have been produced before a court in Burdwan and remanded to 14 days of police custody as investigators trace the full extent of the module’s cross-border linkages.
