A suspected militant with alleged links to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was arrested by the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, near the India-Bangladesh border early Wednesday, police said. The accused, identified as Rana Raut, had allegedly been living in India under the alias ‘Wahab Alam’ using forged documents.
Raut is originally from Faisalabad in Pakistan and is believed to have entered India illegally via Nepal in 2012. According to investigators, Raut spent some time in Nepal before crossing into India and eventually settling in West Bengal. Preliminary findings suggest that he had been monitoring the movements of the Indian Railways and the Indian Army, raising concerns about possible espionage activities.
Police said a resident of Topsia in Kolkata had helped Raut obtain fake Indian identity documents. The suspect has also been arrested and is currently being interrogated. Officials are probing whether a larger network was involved in facilitating his stay and activities.
Sources in the STF said the accused was planning to flee to Bangladesh following the recent arrest of another suspected militant from East Bardhaman. Acting on a tip-off, the STF conducted a raid in Bongaon and apprehended him before he could escape.
Investigating officials are now investigating the motive behind his attempted escape to Bangladesh and whether any associates were waiting to assist him across the border. Further interrogation is underway, and officials have not ruled out additional arrests as the probe progresses.
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