Kolkata, 01 Aug (H.S.) : The West Bengal Police's Special Task Force (STF) has arrested Arpita Sarkar, a woman allegedly linked to Hamim Mondal, who was recently arrested in connection with a suspected terror link case in Purba Bardhaman district. She was apprehended from Sahibganj in neighbouring Jharkhand during a late-night operation.

According to the STF, Arpita came under the scanner during the interrogation of Hamim Mondal, who was arrested from Bardhaman on Friday. Acting on information gathered during the questioning, an STF team conducted a raid in Sahibganj and arrested her. She has since been brought to Bardhaman and is scheduled to be produced before a court on Saturday.

Investigators have alleged that Arpita was used in a honeytrap operation aimed at targeting senior government officials, administrative officers and other influential individuals. The STF suspects that the network attempted to obtain sensitive and confidential information by luring such persons into compromising situations.

The agency further claimed that Hamim Mondal disclosed details about the alleged network and Arpita's role during interrogation. Investigators will now question her to verify these claims and identify other members of the suspected racket.

Earlier, a court remanded Hamim Mondal to 14 days of STF custody. The agency has also stated that it is investigating his alleged links with Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI. However, these allegations are still under investigation and have not been established in court.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh