A man and a woman have been arrested from Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal for their suspected association with Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). 

The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police arrested the two, identified as Hamim Mondal and Arpita Sarkar, from their rented accommodation in Bardhaman town on Friday (July 31, 2026). "Both have been in touch with the terror outfit for over a year through social media. We have also seized some electronic devices and documents from them," said the Inspector-General of the STF, Gaurav Sharma. 

According to a police officer, the seized devices revealed that they had gathered some inputs on the movements of then Leader of the Opposition and present Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in Bardhaman last year. This has prompted investigators to examine whether there was any plan to target him. Police sources also suspect that the two had been part of a larger gang of the outfit that was gathering information on the RSS and the BJP. 

National security issue: CM

Describing the case as "extremely sensitive", Mr. Adhikari told reporters: "This is not just about my security. It is a matter of national security. There are international links.”

Local police had initially identified the two, following which an STF team conducted a search operation and arrested them.

Investigators suspect the duo came into contact with a Jaish-e-Mohammed module, allegedly operated by gangster Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Azmal Gujjar, through social media around a year ago.

Security agencies believe Bhatti's network has been involved in cross-border smuggling of narcotics and arms, with proceeds from the drug trade allegedly financing terror activities in India with the backing of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), sources said.