BENGAL STF FOILS ALLEGED ESCAPE PLAN, ARRESTS PAKISTAN-LINKED SUSPECT ACCUSED OF COLLECTING SENSITIVE MILITARY INFORMATION
West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) has scored a major breakthrough by arresting a suspected operative of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), near the Bangladesh border in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas.
The accused, identified as Rana Raut, was allegedly living under the assumed identity of ‘Wahab Alam’ and is suspected of illegally entering India and building a false identity with forged documents.
According to investigating officers, Raut is originally from Faisalabad, Pakistan, and allegedly entered India through Nepal in 2012. After spending time in Nepal, he reportedly settled in West Bengal and allegedly used forged documents to pass himself off as an Indian citizen.
Investigators suspect that the accused was involved in a serious intelligence-gathering operation, allegedly supplying sensitive information concerning Indian military activities and railway infrastructure to the ISI.
The case took a dramatic turn after intelligence inputs indicated that Raut was allegedly preparing to flee to Bangladesh following another recent arrest linked to suspected terrorist connections. Acting swiftly on the intelligence, the Bengal STF arrested him late on Tuesday night, preventing his alleged escape attempt.
The investigation has also brought Mohammad Ejaz, a resident of Tapasya in Kolkata, under the scanner. Ejaz has been arrested for allegedly helping Raut obtain a fake Indian identity document in the name of ‘Wahab Alam’.
Both suspects are now being interrogated as security agencies work to uncover the full extent of the alleged intelligence network, identify other possible operatives and establish what sensitive information may have been transmitted across the border.
The latest arrest assumes added significance as it comes just days after the Bengal STF arrested Hamim Mondal and his associate Arpita Sarkar over suspected links with Jaish-e-Mohammed. The two were allegedly involved in gathering information about senior political leaders.
The back-to-back arrests have put security agencies on high alert, with investigators now focused on dismantling any wider network allegedly operating through forged identities, cross-border links and the collection of sensitive information.
