Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Aug 15: The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police has arrested three more persons suspected of working as Pakistani spies or agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Cooch Behar district, police said on Saturday.
The three — Rashidul Haque, Nur Nasiruddin Ali and Shafiqul Islam — were arrested late on Friday night from the Sahebganj area of Cooch Behar in north Bengal.
Investigators are interrogating the accused to gather further information. Preliminary investigation has indicated that they were allegedly involved in espionage-related activities, STF sources said.
According to the STF, the accused allegedly procured Indian mobile SIM cards and sent them to Bangladesh. The SIM cards were subsequently allegedly routed from Bangladesh to Pakistan.
The accused are also suspected of involvement in a counterfeit currency racket, police said. Investigators are conducting a detailed probe to ascertain whether the trio had links with Pakistani spies arrested earlier this month.
The latest arrests come days after the STF detained two persons, including a Pakistani national, from separate locations in West Bengal over their alleged links and activities.
Pakistani national arrested
On August 12, Rana Rauf alias Wahab Alam, a resident of Faisalabad in Pakistan, was arrested from Habra in North 24 Parganas district near the India-Bangladesh border following specific intelligence inputs.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) subsequently began collecting information about Alam after the STF's preliminary investigation indicated his alleged links with Pakistan's ISI. The NIA has contacted the Bengal STF seeking details of the investigation and information gathered so far.
During the probe, STF investigators reportedly recovered a netbook from Alam and, after examining its data, identified five Nepal-based associates allegedly linked to him.
A source familiar with the investigation said Alam, during prolonged interrogation, allegedly confessed how he used the five Nepal-based operators to maintain contact with his purported ISI handlers in Pakistan.
Following Friday night's arrests, investigators are now examining whether the three accused had any contact with Alam or his Nepal-based associates.
JeM associate arrested earlier
Last month, the Bengal Police arrested Hamim Mondal, an alleged associate of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), from his rented accommodation in Burdwan town of East Burdwan district.
The latest arrests are part of the ongoing investigation by the Bengal STF into suspected espionage and Pakistan-linked networks operating in the state.