KOLKATA: Twelve years after the blast in the Khagragarh locality of West Bengal’s Bardhaman district that brought to light a Jamaat-ul-Mujahidin (JMB) sleeper cell in the city, the town once again found itself on high alert when a suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operative was arrested on Friday.
According to police, Hamim Mondal, a young man from a small village in East Bardhaman, allegedly established contacts with terrorist groups operating across the border, including Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Police said Hamim was part of Sajjad Bhat’s Jaish-e-Mohammed module and had recently placed online orders for uniforms similar to those worn by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Investigators believe he might have intended to infiltrate the security escort of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari during one of his movements.
The Special Task Force (STF) seized Hamim’s mobile phone and laptop. Investigators said data recovered from the devices showed encrypted communications allegedly sent to individuals associated with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Hamim Mondal, 24, was detained by officers from the STF and personnel from the Burdwan Police Station while exercising at a gym in the upscale Renaissance Township on the western edge of Burdwan town. Police said he regularly travelled from Bankra in Howrah to a flat he had rented in the township.
His father, Moniruddin Mondal, works for a private company in Kolkata. After graduating, Hamim started a business printing labels in Pilkhana, Howrah.
Police also alleged that Hamim had threatened Minister of State Umesh Rai by telephone a few days earlier. During the investigation, officers traced the telephone number of a young woman from Birbhum, which ultimately led them to Hamim and, investigators said, uncovered his alleged activities carried out under the guise of being a student.
Hamim’s family is from Dignagar village in the Manteswar block of East Burdwan, about 25km north of Bardhaman town. He was brought up at his grandmother’s house in Bankra, Howrah.
Three months ago, Hamim rented a three-room flat owned by Ekta Mehera at Rohini Tower in Renaissance Township, Bardhaman. According to neighbours, a local grocer, Mohammad Ali, helped him secure the accommodation.
Ali said he had used his father’s identity documents when signing the rental agreement. Hamim had told him the flat was needed for his younger brother and sister.
A neighbour, schoolteacher Ashis Mondal, said: "It’s incredible. He seemed to be a calm, quiet and soft-spoken young man."
Hamim’s grandfather, Nasiruddin Mondal, and his uncle, Suman Mondal, rejected the allegations, saying he had no connections with terrorist groups or Pakistani intelligence agencies.
Nasiruddin, a farmer, said: "The accusations are very serious. The boy is too young to have taken part in such activities. Maybe the police have been misled by incorrect information."
Police alleged that "the accused took part in a criminal conspiracy and actively colluded with foreign hostile elements acting on behalf of the ISI. He was a member of a cross-border criminal and espionage network which included Pakistan-based handlers, and was involved in recruitment of local operatives, procurement of arms, collection of sensitive information concerning eminent persons, honey-trapping of dignitaries, abductions as well as assassinations."
The complaint was lodged by Banasovan Ghosh, a sub-inspector with the STF. At about 6.50am, officers from the Bardhaman Police Station raided the gym while another STF team searched the rented apartment at Rohini Tower, seizing a laptop and several documents.
Hamim was later produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Bardhaman, where he was remanded in police custody for 14 days. He has been charged under Sections 61 and 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, as well as relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Immigration Act. He was subsequently taken to Kolkata by the STF for further interrogation. - The Statesman/ANN
