Kolkata, July 31 -- The West Bengal Police's Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday arrested from a rented flat in Burdwan a suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operative, Hamid Mondal alias Hamim Mondal, who allegedly conducted surveillance on Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's travel routes, vehicle movements and daily schedule.
Investigators recovered alleged incriminating data from the suspect's mobile phone and electronic devices, which indicated he had been conducting surveillance on Chief Minister Adhikari, tracking his travel itineraries, vehicle routes and daily schedule.
Following the arrest, Adhikari addressed a press conference at Nabanna on Friday, describing the case as "extremely sensitive" and saying the conspiracy extended beyond an individual threat. "This is an extremely sensitive matter. There are international links involved, and it directly concerns national security. I will not say anything. STF will call a press conference tomorrow (Saturday) and will elaborate," the Chief Minister said.
Adhikari also said Minister of State Umesh Rai had come under the suspected militant's scanner.
Sources said the STF raided the Burdwan flat late on Thursday and arrested Mondal.
Officers learnt that he had also stayed for a few days at a rented accommodation in New Town, triggering concern within the police as the Chief Minister resides adjacent to the area.
According to sources, Mondal is believed to be an ISI-trained handler with links to the Sajjad Bhat group of the Pakistan-based banned outfit JeM, a faction allegedly involved in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.
The Chief Minister said the STF was carrying out a detailed forensic examination of encrypted messages and digital files recovered from the suspect's devices.
Mobile tower records and digital evidence allegedly indicate he maintained regular encrypted communication with senior JeM handlers. Meanwhile, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya alleged that decades of appeasement politics had turned Bengal from a "safe passage" during the Left regime into a "safe home" under the
Trinamool Congress.
He also alleged that a "silent demographic invasion" had been encouraged over the past 15 years for vote-bank politics and claimed the Centre had flagged cross-border terror modules operating from Cooch Behar during the Covid-19 pandemic, which the then state government ignored.
Referring to the alleged plot against the Chief Minister, Bhattacharya said it was "expected" that radical outfits would target Adhikari, claiming the present government had launched an all-out offensive against fundamentalism and disrupted entrenched terror networks.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.