A Special Task Force (STF) of the Bengal Police arrested two Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists in Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal on Friday (31st July). The terrorists identified as Mohammad Hamim Mondal and Arpita Sarkar were nabbed from their rented accommodation in Bardhaman town. Mondal was produced before the court, from where he was sent to 14-day police custody.
#WATCH | Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal: A six-member Special Task Force (STF) team arrested a 23-year-old man, identified as Hamim Mondal, from the Renaissance area on suspicion of alleged militant links. The accused was produced before a court, which sent him to 14 days of police… pic.twitter.com/bdKSglA1OQ
— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2026
Based on the information revealed from the mobile phones and documents recovered from the terrorists, the STF reportedly suspects that they were involved in the planning of an attack on Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Hamim Mandal had reportedly been closely monitoring CM Suvendu Adhikari’s movements and event schedule since 9th July. “Both have been in touch with the terror outfit for over a year through social media. We have also seized some electronic devices and documents from them,” said the Inspector-General of the STF, Gaurav Sharma.
The seized devices and documents disclosed that last year the terrorists had gathered some inputs on the movements of then Leader of the Opposition and present Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in Bardhaman. This led the investigators to probe the possibility of a plot to attack Adhikari.
The investigators also believe that the two terrorists have been part of a larger gang of the Pakistani terror outfit, which was involved in gathering information on the RSS and the BJP. The terrorists were initially identified by the local police. Subsequently, the STF team conducted a search operation and arrested them.
According to the investigators, the two terrorists were in contact with a JeM module operated by Pakistani gangster Sajjad Bhat, the mastermind of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, through social media around a year ago.
Speaking about the arrest, CM Adhikari said that the matter is “extremely sensitive” as it relates to national security. “This is not just about my security. It is a matter of national security. There are international links,” CM Adhikari said.
According to security agencies, Bhat’s network is involved in the smuggling of narcotics and arms across the border. The proceeds from the smuggling are used to finance terror activities in India with the support of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
