India
In a major counter-intelligence operation, the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) has arrested three individuals from the Cooch Behar district for their alleged links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Authorities believe the accused were involved in espionage-related activities, including smuggling Indian SIM cards to Pakistan through Bangladesh and participating in a counterfeit currency network.
According to officials, the arrests were made late on Friday evening in the Sahebganj area of Dinahata in North Bengal. The three accused have been identified as Rashidul Haque, Nur Nasiruddin Ali, and Shafiqul Islam. Investigators suspect that the trio had been operating covertly within Indian territory on behalf of Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
Preliminary findings suggest that the accused played a key role in illegally procuring Indian mobile SIM cards and transferring them across the border to Pakistan via Bangladesh. Such SIM cards are often considered a security concern because they can be used to conceal identities and facilitate communication for unlawful activities.
The STF has also alleged that the three men were involved in the production and circulation of counterfeit Indian currency notes. Investigators are now examining whether the accused were part of a larger cross-border network engaged in espionage, financial crimes, and intelligence gathering activities.
Following their arrest, the three suspects were produced before a court on Saturday. The court remanded them to 14 days of police custody, allowing investigators additional time to interrogate the accused and trace possible links to wider networks operating across international borders.
The arrests come amid a broader crackdown on alleged Pakistan-linked operatives in eastern India. Earlier this month, authorities arrested Hamim Mondal, a suspected operative allegedly linked to the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the Shahzad Bhatti gang. Mondal was apprehended from Bardhaman district, while his associate Arpita Sarkar was arrested in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj. Another associate, Aditya Singh alias Raju, was detained in Howrah. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of four more individuals.
One of the most significant arrests in the ongoing probe was that of Pakistani national Rana Rauf, also known as Wahab Alam. Investigators claim Rauf entered India through Nepal in 2012 using forged identity documents and later conducted surveillance on several sensitive installations across West Bengal. Authorities allege he monitored strategic locations in Kolkata and areas near the India-Bangladesh border.
Security agencies are now working to determine the full extent of the alleged espionage network and whether additional operatives remain active in the region. The investigation remains ongoing.
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