![\"JeM](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-132828188,imgsize-1135280,width-400,height-225,resizemode-75\/hamim-mondal-left-and-his-alleged-girlfriend-arpita-sarkar-under-police-custody.jpg\" "\\"Hamim")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nKOLKATA: The West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) is probing how a Pakistan-linked terror module used social media and an online gaming platforms to identify, recruit and assign operational roles to youngsters, as investigators widen their probe into the network around suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed<\/a> operative Hamim Mondal.The probe has so far revealed two alleged recruitment trails involving people who came in contact with Hamim Mondal through digital platforms.As per news agency PTI, while 22-year-old Arpita Sarkar, an aspiring social media influencer from Jharkhand, allegedly met Hamim Mondal on Instagram nearly four years ago and later became his ‘girlfriend’, another suspected associate, Aditya Singh<\/a> alias Raj alias Raju, is believed to have come in contact with Hamim through an online gaming platform.Investigators suspect Hamim allegedly used these online interactions to draw people into his network and subsequently assigned them specific tasks.Aditya, who was arrested from Belilious Road in Howrah on Monday, is suspected of being tasked with keeping a close watch on Minister of State for Urban Development Umesh Rai and his son. According to the STF, Aditya allegedly collected information about their movements, photographed them and shared the details with Hamim Mondal.“Mondal assigned him the task to keep a close watch on Minister of State for Urban Development Umesh Rai and his son. He is suspected to have collected information related to them and shared it with the accused,” a senior STF official said.The officer said investigators were examining whether the surveillance was linked to a possible plan to target the minister.The STF suspects that Hamim allegedly brainwashed Aditya after coming in contact with him through an online gaming platform and subsequently drew him into the alleged conspiracy.“The latest arrest 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 we have arrested three persons in this connection,” a senior STF officer said.The probe into Hamim’s alleged recruitment network has also brought his relationship with Arpita Sarkar under scrutiny.Arpita, arrested from Barharwa in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district, is alleged by the STF to have been an active member of the Pakistan-linked terror module. Investigators claim she was allegedly tasked with honey-trapping influential people, including politicians and police officers.According to investigators, Arpita and Hamim Mondal had been in a relationship for nearly four years after first connecting on Instagram before taking their conversations offline. The STF, however, has said their relationship predates their alleged contact with Pakistan-based handlers.“The two had an affair for almost four years. But as per our information, it has been only a few months that they were in communication with the Pakistani terror outfit handlers,” a senior STF officer said.STF IG Gaurav Sharma alleged that Mondal introduced Sarkar to the network, after which she allegedly began receiving instructions directly from Pakistan-based handlers.“Arpita was thoroughly involved in honey-trapping the son of a Bengal minister. She had done this under Hamim\u2019s instructions. Arpita was fully aware of what she was doing,” Sharma alleged.The STF has alleged that Arpita Sarkar and Hamim Mondal were involved in a plan to honey-trap the son of a minister of state in West Bengal, with the alleged aim of abducting him and extorting money from his family.The agency is also examining whether the alleged honey-trapping operation was part of a broader strategy in which personal relationships and social media profiles were used to establish contact with influential targets and gather sensitive information.The investigation into Arpita Sarkar’s digital footprint has also drawn attention to her Instagram presence. An aspiring influencer, her social media feed reportedly featured videos of motorcycle rides and travel reels. She is an English Honours graduate from BSK College in Barharwa and had also expressed an interest in modelling and riding motorcycles.Investigators are examining whether her social media presence was used to establish contacts with potential targets and whether she was being prepared for a role beyond the alleged honey-trapping operations.“We are trying to crack the encrypted communications and are also examining whether they received funds from abroad,” Sharma said.The STF is also looking into Arpita’s frequent and extended stays at her maternal grandparents’ home in Kolkata. Residents of Gwarkhol village in Barharwa said she regularly travelled to Kolkata and spent long periods there, returning to the village intermittently while pursuing her graduation.Although officials have not confirmed where or when Arpita and Hamim first met in person, investigators are examining whether her visits to Kolkata provided opportunities for the two to meet offline in addition to their online interactions.Arpita Sarkar’s personal background has also emerged during the investigation. Her mother, an Anganwadi sevika, died about five years ago, after which Sarkar split her time between her native village and her grandparents’ residence in Kolkata. Villagers also recalled that she had received martial arts training.“We never imagined she could become part of such a serious investigation,” a neighbour said, requesting anonymity.Another villager described Arpita Sarkar as reserved and short-tempered.“She hardly mixed with people here. Most of us knew very little about her personal life because she spent so much time in Kolkata,” he said.“The investigation is at a crucial stage. We are trying to ascertain the role played by each individual and identify the entire chain of communication. Information gathered during interrogation will help us understand the network and its activities in detail,” the STF officer said.The officer said investigators were also examining whether the accused were planning to carry out any terror strike in the run-up to Independence Day celebrations.“Our priority is to unearth all possible links. We are examining every piece of evidence collected during the investigation,” he said.(With agency inputs)<\/div>\n