Bengal Police bust Pakistan-linked honeytrap network targeting ministers

Kolkata : West Bengal police have dismantled a sophisticated Pakistan-linked honeytrap network, leading to the arrest of three individuals, including an alleged associate of Jaish-e-Mohammed, who were reportedly targeting state ministers and other high-profile figures.

West Bengal police have arrested Aditya Singh, the third suspect in a case involving a Pakistan-linked honeytrap network targeting high-profile individuals.

The network allegedly sought to recruit aspiring models and young women via social media to entrap influential people, including at least six ministers and their families.

Investigators suspect the module is linked to Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti's syndicate and alleged terror operatives, with contacts maintained through encrypted messaging apps.

One of the alleged targets was Minister of State for Urban Development Umesh Rai and his son, with Singh tasked to monitor their movements.

The probe is examining electronic evidence, financial transactions, and international linkages to identify all individuals involved and potential terror-related activities.
 
The West Bengal police on Monday nabbed an alleged associate of arrested Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Hamim Mondal and has unearthed a Pakistan-linked honeytrap network targeting ministers, their kin and other high-profile people in the state, a senior officer said.

With the arrest of Aditya Singh from Belilious Road in Howrah, the number of people arrested in the case has risen to three.

According to the officer, the action by the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal police came based on information obtained during the interrogation of Mondal and his alleged associate Arpita Sarkar.

While Mondal was arrested from his rented apartment in Bardhaman town on July 30, Sarkar was nabbed from Jharkhand's Sahebgunj last Friday.

"The arrest of Aditya Singh was made based on specific leads that emerged during the investigation. We are now focused on identifying others linked to the alleged network. So far, three people have been arrested in this case," a senior STF officer said.

Investigators suspect that Singh came in contact with Mondal through an online gaming platform and was subsequently drawn into the alleged conspiracy.

According to the STF officer, Mondal allegedly assigned Singh the task of keeping a watch on Minister of State for Urban Development Umesh Rai and his son.

"He is suspected to have collected information about the minister and his son, and shared it with Mondal. We are investigating whether they were planning to target the minister," the officer said, adding that Singh had photographed Rai's movements and passed them on to Mondal.

Rai had recently complained to police that he had received extortion calls from a person claiming links with a 'Pakistani agency' and was threatened with his son's kidnapping.

The minister had also told police that the caller had sent him photographs of the BJP office and had warned of an attack on the premises.

Cross-Border Connections and Modus Operandi : As the probe widened, investigators stumbled upon what they suspect is a cross-border honeytrap module linked to Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti's syndicate and alleged terror operatives.

The network sought to recruit aspiring models and young women active on social media to entrap influential people in West Bengal, the STF officer said.

He also said that investigators were examining intelligence inputs suggesting that at least six ministers, including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, and their family members were identified as potential targets.

The probe has centred on Sarkar, who investigators believe was recruited by Mondal after being lured with promises of a career in modelling and acting.

STF sleuths suspect that Mondal convinced Sarkar that she could earn substantially more through honeytrap operations before introducing her to Pakistan-based handlers.

She was allegedly trained through social media on how to cultivate targets, gain their confidence and later use personal relationships for extortion, officials said.

"Sarkar had been in contact with Rai's son for nearly four months as part of the alleged conspiracy," he said, adding the sleuths were probing whether the sustained contact was intended to facilitate an extortion bid before progressing to a plan to abduct him.

"We are examining all electronic evidence and financial transactions to establish the precise role of each accused and determine whether similar attempts were made against other public functionaries," the STF officer said.

The investigation has also brought Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti's close aide, Abid Jat, under scrutiny.

According to central intelligence inputs being examined by the STF, Abid is suspected to have maintained contact with Mondal and Sarkar through encrypted messaging applications such as 'Session' and 'Element X', he said.

"STF officers are also probing the role of a suspected Dubai-based handler of the Bhatti gang and are trying to ascertain whether the operative and Abid are the same person," the officer added.

Whether Sarkar was assigned to collect information on sensitive locations, strategic installations and the movement of VVIPs under the guise of creating social media reels and other online content is also being probed, he said.

Investigators are also looking into allegations that Rai received a threatening phone call this May from a caller identifying himself as Abid Jat, he said.

According to the STF, the suspected handlers instructed the operatives to identify aspiring models and young women active on social media, befriend them, develop intimate relationships and, if necessary, even propose marriage before recruiting them into honeytrap operations.

The STF sleuths also believe Mondal followed a similar modus operandi after first coming in contact with Sarkar on Instagram about four years ago, the officer said.

"The investigation is at a crucial stage. We are trying to ascertain the role of each accused, verify the international linkages and identify the entire chain of communication. We are coordinating with central agencies, and every lead is being verified on the basis of evidence," he said.

The officer added that investigators were also examining whether the accused were planning any terror-related activity in the run-up to Independence Day celebrations and were working to identify every individual associated with the alleged network.