- Woman accomplice of Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Hamim Mondal arrested in Jharkhand
- Arpita Sarkar, Mondal's girlfriend, was in regular WhatsApp contact with him
- Mondal was arrested in Bardhaman and linked to an ISI-backed terror network
The West Bengal Police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested an alleged woman accomplice of suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Hamim Mondal who was recently arrested.
According to police, the woman, identified as Arpita Sarkar, was arrested from Jharkhand's Sahebgunj on Friday and brought to Bardhaman in Bengal.
Suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Mohammad Hamim Mondal was arrested from Bardhaman town on Thursday, officials said on Saturday.
Police say that Sarkar is Mondal's close associate and girlfriend.
Sarkar was allegedly in regular contact with Mondal through WhatsApp, officials said, adding that chats between the two had been recovered during the investigation.
The STF arrested Mondal from his rented apartment at a housing complex in Bardhaman town on Thursday. He is suspected to be part of an ISI-backed network tasked with collecting intelligence on VIPs, including BJP leaders, recruiting operatives and laying the groundwork for possible terror activities in the state, police said.
Mondal allegedly used Sarkar to establish contacts with influential political leaders in West Bengal and collect personal information about them, they said.
Jaish module allegedly tracked CM Suvendu Adhikari's movements
"Sarkar allegedly played a key role in a 'honey-trap' network used to lure targets as part of the suspected module's activities. Our investigation suggests that the accused attempted to build a network to access sensitive personal information of certain political personalities," news agency PTI reported quoting an official said.
"The woman was allegedly used to develop contacts and facilitate the collection of such information. We are verifying the digital evidence and examining the exact nature of her role," he added.
It is being probed whether the information allegedly collected by her was intended to be used for planning attacks, officials said.
Asked about Mondal's arrest, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said, "It's a sensitive issue. STF and senior police officers are handling the case. He may have international connections; the police are investigating."
Preliminary investigation suggests that Mondal had been tracking the movements of Chief Minister Adhikari and the routes his convoy took.
