Bengal STF probes 'Pak plan' to use arrested woman in espionage network

The West Bengal STF is probing an alleged plan by Pakistan-based handlers to use arrested woman Arpita Sarkar, an associate of suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Mohammed Hamim Mondal, to create an espionage and honey-trap network.

Mondal and Sarkar contacted Pakistan-based handlers through encrypted messaging applications that do not require SIM cards, making tracking difficult.

The STF claims the duo conspired to honey-trap the son of a minister of state in West Bengal to abduct him and extort money, orchestrated by Pakistan-based handlers linked to the Shahzad Bhatti gang.

Investigators have surfaced names of suspected handlers, including Rana, Uzair, Abid Jatt, and Hamad, with suspected links to Pakistan-based operators.

Mondal was arrested from Purba Bardhaman district, while Sarkar, a resident of Barharwa in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district, was also arrested; she had been active on social media aspiring to be an influencer.