West Bengal police arrest suspects in espionage and jihadi module probes

The West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) has conducted a series of arrests in connection with alleged espionage and extremist activities. In South 24 Parganas, authorities arrested Janadul Baig and Shafiq Sheikh for allegedly attempting to establish a jihadi module inspired by Al Qaeda ideology. The suspects reportedly used social media pages titled ‘Mughalezam’ and ‘Jehad ki Sabibilla’ to spread anti-government propaganda and recruit youth. Investigators also believe the pair was attempting to procure weapons.

In a separate but related development in Kolkata, the STF arrested an individual named Imran in the Topsia area. Imran is suspected of being an associate of Rana Rauf, an alleged Pakistani intelligence operative apprehended last week in Habra. Imran allegedly assisted Rauf in obtaining an Indian passport through the use of forged documents. Rauf, suspected to be a native of Faisalabad, Pakistan, is believed to have links to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and was allegedly passing information regarding the Indian Army and railways to handlers in Pakistan.