Hamim Mandal
West Bengal’s Special Task Force (STF) has claimed that an alleged terror module led by arrested suspect Hamim Mandal was planning a disruptive attack linked to a student protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
The allegations emerged following the arrests of Hamim Mandal from West Bengal’s Purba Bardhaman district and his associate Arpita Sarkar from Sahibganj in Jharkhand. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, STF Inspector General Gaurav Sharma outlined several findings from the ongoing investigation.
The agency, however, clarified that investigators are still verifying whether Hamim actually reached Jantar Mantar or succeeded in obtaining a police uniform as allegedly planned.
According to the STF, the alleged conspiracy extended beyond the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari.
Investigators claim that several politicians and senior police officers were also on the suspected target list.
The investigation reportedly began after intelligence inputs suggested a conspiracy to extort money from a senior political leader in Howrah and allegedly kidnap his son through a honey-trap operation.
Officials said the investigation led them to a social media account allegedly operated by Arpita Sarkar, which subsequently helped identify Hamim Mandal.
A Bardhaman court has remanded Arpita Sarkar to 14 days of police custody.
Investigators claim Hamim and Arpita first connected through Instagram around four years ago before developing a personal relationship.
During interrogation, STF officials allegedly recovered information regarding several online accounts identified as “Rana”, “Uzair”, “Abid Jatt333” and “Hamad”.
The agency suspects these accounts are linked to Pakistan-based operatives and possibly to the network of gangster Shahzad Bhatti.
According to investigators, communication initially took place through Instagram before shifting to encrypted conversations on WhatsApp and Telegram.
The STF further alleges that some of these accounts used SIM cards originating from the United Kingdom and Mexico to conceal their identities while communicating with Hamim.
Authorities say digital forensic analysis and examination of financial transactions are continuing.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations made by investigators have not yet been tested in court.
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