Two suspected ISI operatives were arrested in Memari, East Burdwan.
They misled their landlord and neighbours by posing as English teachers and NGO workers.
Operated discreetly from a rented house in a low-crime area to avoid suspicion
Kolkata July 10: In an apparent unassuming manner two suspected ISI linkmen at Memari in East Burdwan District helped their Pakistani handlers in getting Indian mobile numbers. Two individuals, behaving like ‘gentleman’ and ‘NGO workers’ selected a West Bengal village with a low crime profile.
The duo – Mukesh Rajak and Rakesh Gupta – fooled the owner of their rented accommodation as well as neighbours under false pretexts. They masked their real activities behind a low profile, yet respectable attitude to ensure no one can become suspicious about them.
The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police has uncovered crucial details regarding how Mukesh and Rakesh operated discreetly. Details of their camouflaging technique, once again, highlights well laid out and stricter verification by the house owner of tenants’ details before renting out accommodation.
Mukesh Rajak is originally from Panagarh in West Burdwan, while Rakesh Gupta hails from Bhawanipur in South Kolkata. Both are currently in Police custody. During interrogation, Mukesh and Rakesh detailed about how they facilitated their Pakistani handlers.
The duo confessed to purchasing multiple prepaid SIM cards from the market using various Indian identity proofs.
How they worked:
After activating these SIM cards, they reportedly passed them along to their handlers in Pakistan. These numbers were later used to create fake WhatsApp accounts, with Rajak and Gupta also forwarding the necessary OTPs to enable account activation.
Sources close to the investigation revealed that the suspects operated discreetly under the cover of an NGO, choosing a rented house in Memari, East Burdwan district—a region with a relatively low crime profile—as their base of operations.
According to police insiders, the accused gave differing accounts of their identities to various people. They claimed to be English teachers to the landlord of the rented accommodation, while presenting themselves as NGO workers involved in social services to neighbours.
Residents of the area told investigators that Rajak and Gupta appeared respectable and maintained a low profile. However, they recalled occasional visits by unidentified individuals who stayed briefly at the residence.
Authorities suspect that the two men were part of a larger espionage network. Their mobile phones have been confiscated, and investigators are now trying to determine the duration of their involvement with the ISI and the nature of the information they may have transmitted to Pakistani operatives.
The case underscores how individuals can exploit local trust and weak tenant verification systems for espionage activities. The revelations have not only alarmed law enforcement but also raised the need for stricter background checks by landlords and vigilance at the community level, neighbourhood people opined. (Edited)
