Kolkata: Massive CCTV coverage around the Chinar Park residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in the northern outskirts of Kolkata prevented suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) associate Hamim Mondal from capturing photos and videos of the house or the adjacent area, especially the approach-ways.
Mondal was arrested from Burdwan town in East Burdwan district last week by the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police. Sources aware of the developments said that during the marathon interrogation by both the STF officers as well as the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Mondal had admitted that although he had done recce of the area adjacent to the Chief Minister’s Chinar Park residence as well the routes through which his convoy moved from that area, he was unable to capture any video or picture out of the fear of getting caught because of massive CCTV coverage in the entire area.
He also said that there were clear instructions to him from his Pakistan-based handlers not to get caught in CCTV footage while capturing photos or videos of residences of VVIPs or the adjacent areas.
He had admitted that because of this drawback of heavy CCTV coverage, he had to restrict his recce activities in the area, said a state police official.
Mondal also admitted that he hired app-based cabs at times to conduct a recce of the routes through which the Chief Minister’s convoy generally moved.
Currently, Mondal and his two associates, Arpita Sarkar and Aditya Singh, are in STF custody. Besides JeM, Mondal also had contact with Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN), a Pakistan-based terrorist-criminal group.
Arpita Sarkar was mainly used as a medium for honey-trapping politically and socially influential persons in West Bengal and subsequently extorting money from them through blackmail.
The STF officials, following interrogation of Mondal and Sarkar, have learnt that SBN targeted the family members of at least six current members of the West Bengal cabinet through Arpita. Besides the family members of the state cabinet members, some other influential persons in the state’s administrative machinery were also targeted through Sarkar, as revealed in the investigation so far.
(IANS)
