Bengal STF arrests second aide of suspected JeM associate Hamim Mondal

The Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police on Monday arrested the second aide of Hamim Mondal, a suspected Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM) associate, who was arrested last week. 

The person arrested in the morning was identified as Aditya Singh a.k.a. Raj. He was arrested from his residence at Belilious Road in Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district of West Bengal.

An insider from the state police said the investigating officers got the information about Singh after interrogating Hamim Mondal and his associate, Arpita Sarkar, both of whom were arrested last week by STF sleuths. Both Mondal and Sarkar were also close associates of Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN), a Pakistan-based terrorist-criminal group.

It is learnt that Singh was instrumental in supplying to Mondal crucial information about Umesh Rai and his family members, who were targets of the SBN for honey-trapping, blackmailing and, if necessary, abduction followed by ransom demands.

Umesh Rai is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Howrah-Uttar Assembly constituency in Howrah district and also a Minister of State in Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari-led state cabinet.

Sources aware of the development said the STF sleuths reached Singh's residence late Sunday and interrogated him throughout the night. After a nightlong interrogation, he was arrested on Monday morning.

He will be presented at a district court later in the day, and the public prosecutor will seek his STF custody for further interrogation.

Hamim Mondal was arrested on Friday in Burdwan town in East Burdwan district, and Sarkar was arrested in Sahibganj in neighbouring Jharkhand on the same night. Both of them are currently serving 14 days of STF custody.

It is learnt that Aditya Singh was also behind the threat call that Umesh Rai reportedly received after the recently concluded Assembly polls. At the same time, state police insiders said he used to give regular updates regarding Rai and his family members to Hamim Mondal.

From Mondal, the STF sleuths recovered crucial and incriminating documents about the schedule and movement of CM Adhikari, following which the latter’s security arrangements have been enhanced.

“Further investigation is on to reveal the detailed role of Aditya Singh in the entire racket. He is being interrogated to gather information about his other associates in the matter,” a state police official said.