West Bengal Police Special Task Force personnel escort a suspected terrorist while producing him before a court in Bardhaman, West Bengal, on July 31, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Kolkata
The West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday (August 1, 2026) said a terror suspect arrested on Friday (July 31, 2026), identified as Hamim Mondal, had plans for subversive action during protests by the Cockroach Janta Party in Delhi. The police have also picked up his associate, Arpita Sarkar, from Sahebganj in Jharkhand and transferred her to Kolkata.
“Pakistani outfits were asking him to arrange a police uniform and infiltrate the recent student protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and engage in violence,” STF Inspector-General Gaurav Sharma said.
According to STF officials, he was also targeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, as well as other politicians and multiple police officers. Mr. Sharma said the suspect was tasked with studying the Chief Minister’s movements to find vulnerabilities in his security.
“Hamim had relationships with multiple Pakistani outfits. There are many more on our radar who we are yet to arrest,” Mr. Sharma added. He said that this was a case of brainwashing and radical propaganda.
Mr. Mondal is suspected to have links with the Pakistan-based Shehzad Bhatti gang and other terror organisations, Mr. Sharma said. The police have recovered gadgets and other documents from the suspects and are analysing them. They are also analysing bank account transactions and encrypted messages to understand their targets and plans.
Mr. Mondal was arrested on Friday (July 31, 2026), by a six-member team of the STF. He was produced in court and has been sent to 14 days’ police custody.
Mr. Mondal was allegedly using Ms. Sarkar to honey-trap and abduct a State Minister’s son from Howrah when the police received information about their activities, which brought them under the scanner.
“West Bengal has become the haven of terrorism, and our police force and our Chief Minister have already stated that we will crack down on all kinds of nuisance, terrorism, and criminals,” Minister Shankar Ghosh told the media on Saturday (August 1, 2026).
Published – August 01, 2026 09:03 pm IST
