Two suspected ISI linkmen arrested in Bengal: Police

Kolkata, July 8 (IANS) The West Bengal Police told on Tuesday that the officers of its Special Task Force (STF) have arrested two men of being suspected for having links with Pakistan's ISI and both accused have been remanded to seven days of police custody by a lower court in Kolkata, officials said.

Confirming the development on Tuesday afternoon, a state police official said that they were arrested from the East Burdwan district early Sunday morning and thereafter produced at the city court on Monday silently.

He added that since the matter involved the links of the accused with ISI, the investigating officials maintained initial secrecy about their arrests and did not speak about the matter unless the court remanded them to police custody.

The two accused persons have been identified as Mukhesh Rajak, a resident of Panagarh in West Burdwan district and Rakesh Kumar Gupta, a resident of Bhawanipur in South Kolkata.

The state police official said that the accused duo had been working as ISI linkmen under the garb of running a non-government organisation. Both the accused were operating from a rented accommodation at Memari in the East Burdwan district, where they were arrested.

"We doubt that both accused are parts of a major espionage racket. During the seven days of police custody, the investigating official will question them thoroughly to get details about their associates involved in the racket," the state police official added.

The policemen have already seized the mobile phones of the arrested duo.

The call and chat details of the two phones are being examined by the investigating officials to get more information in the matter.

The investigating officials are also trying to track since when the arrested had been operating as ISI linkmen and also what kind of information they shared with their associates in Pakistan.

--IANS

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