JeM associate's aide Aditya Singh remanded to 11-day STF custody in Bengal
Synopsis
A student named Aditya Singh, allegedly the second aide of a suspected JeM operative, has been remanded to 11-day STF custody after a West Bengal court hearing — with the NIA now in the picture. The case has exposed an alleged Pakistan-linked honey-trap and blackmail plot targeting a sitting BJP minister's family, raising serious questions about cross-border terror networks operating through encrypted apps inside India.
Key Takeaways
Aditya Singh , alias Raj , was remanded to 11 days of STF custody by a West Bengal district court on Monday, 4 August 2025 .
Singh is the second aide of Hamim Mondal , a suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) associate arrested from Burdwan on 31 July .
A third suspect, Arpita Sarkar , was arrested from Sahibganj, Jharkhand on the night of 31 July .
Both Mondal and Sarkar are linked to the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) , a Pakistan-based terrorist-criminal group.
The alleged plot targeted BJP MLA and Minister of State Umesh Rai and his family through honey-trapping, blackmail, and potential abduction.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun questioning the suspects, with interrogation of Singh expected to follow.
A district court in West Bengal on Monday, 4 August 2025, remanded Aditya Singh, alias Raj — the second aide of suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) associate Hamim Mondal — to 11 days of custody of the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police. The arrest is part of a widening crackdown on an alleged Pakistan-linked terror-criminal network that had reportedly targeted a sitting BJP legislator and his family.
A String of Arrests
Hamim Mondal was arrested by STF personnel on 31 July from Burdwan in East Burdwan district. Hours later, on the night of 31 July, STF sleuths nabbed Arpita Sarkar, a female associate of Mondal, from Sahibganj in neighbouring Jharkhand. Aditya Singh was then arrested on Monday morning from his residence on Belilious Road in Howrah district, adjacent to Kolkata.
According to investigators, both Mondal and Sarkar were close associates of the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN), a Pakistan-based terrorist-criminal organisation.
Singh's Alleged Role in the Plot
Aditya Singh, described as a student, is alleged to have supplied Mondal with critical intelligence about Umesh Rai — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Howrah-Uttar Assembly constituency and a Minister of State in the West Bengal cabinet led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari — as well as Rai's family members.
State police sources said this information was not transmitted directly but through end-to-end encrypted platforms, including Telegram, to evade intelligence surveillance. Analysis of digital data recovered from Mondal's mobile device has reportedly revealed several foreign mobile numbers and multiple online identities, with investigators probing possible contact with multiple handlers based in Pakistan.
The Honey-Trapping Angle
One of the most significant threads of the investigation centres on an alleged honey-trapping operation. According to state police, a plan was reportedly hatched to target the family members of Umesh Rai through honey-trapping, blackmail, and, if necessary, abduction followed by ransom demands. Investigators are now examining Aditya Singh's precise role in this plot.
NIA Steps In
Reflecting the gravity of the charges, sleuths from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) questioned both Mondal and Sarkar on Monday. According to reports, NIA personnel are expected to interrogate Singh as well while he remains in STF custody. The NIA's involvement signals that the case may be escalated to central jurisdiction, given its cross-border dimensions.
What Comes Next
With Singh's 11-day STF remand now in effect, investigators are expected to reconstruct the full communication chain between the accused and their alleged Pakistan-based handlers. The outcome of the NIA's parallel questioning of Mondal and Sarkar will likely determine whether federal charges are formally pressed. The case marks one of the most operationally specific JeM-linked threats to emerge from West Bengal in recent years.
Point of View
Not a symbolic public space. If the honey-trap-to-abduction pipeline alleged by police is substantiated, it would mark a qualitative shift in how Pakistan-linked networks are attempting to generate leverage inside India — through personal coercion rather than mass-casualty events. The NIA's early entry also suggests the Centre is watching this closely, and a jurisdictional takeover cannot be ruled out. The encrypted-app trail, if cracked, could expose a handler network that extends well beyond these three arrests.
NationPress
3 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Aditya Singh and why was he arrested?
Aditya Singh, alias Raj, is a student from Howrah, West Bengal, arrested for allegedly supplying intelligence about BJP MLA Umesh Rai and his family to suspected JeM associate Hamim Mondal. He is accused of being a key link in a Pakistan-linked plot involving honey-trapping, blackmail, and potential abduction.
What is the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN)?
The Shahzad Bhatti Network is a Pakistan-based terrorist-criminal organisation. According to investigators, both Hamim Mondal and Arpita Sarkar were close associates of this network, which allegedly orchestrated the plot targeting the BJP legislator and his family.
Why is the NIA involved in this case?
The National Investigation Agency stepped in given the cross-border dimensions of the case, including alleged contact with Pakistan-based handlers and the involvement of a Pakistan-linked terror network. NIA personnel questioned Mondal and Sarkar on Monday and are expected to interrogate Singh as well.
Who is Umesh Rai and why was he targeted?
Umesh Rai is the BJP legislator from Howrah-Uttar Assembly constituency and a Minister of State in the West Bengal cabinet. According to police, the Shahzad Bhatti Network allegedly planned to honey-trap, blackmail, and if necessary abduct members of his family to extract ransom or leverage.
How did the accused communicate to avoid detection?
According to state police, Aditya Singh transmitted information about Umesh Rai to Hamim Mondal through end-to-end encrypted platforms such as Telegram, specifically to evade intelligence surveillance. Digital data from Mondal's mobile has reportedly revealed foreign numbers and multiple online identities.
