Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

Kolkata, Feb 22: West Bengal police have arrested two youths from Murshidabad district on charges of allegedly spying for Pakistan, officials said on Sunday. The Special Task Force (STF) of the state police conducted the arrests and recovered multiple mobile phones and SIM cards from the accused.

One of the youths, identified as Juhab Sheikh, a resident of Murshidabad, was apprehended a few days ago after his activities drew suspicion during surveillance. Interrogation reportedly revealed links with handlers based in Pakistan. Following this, Suman Sheikh was arrested on Saturday from Berhampore, based on information obtained during questioning. Both were allegedly involved in selling SIM cards.

Investigators claim the accused procured SIM cards using identity documents of unsuspecting individuals and created WhatsApp accounts.

They allegedly shared the one-time passwords (OTPs) generated during verification with their Pakistan-based handlers, allowing remote access to the accounts. Police say the duo provided OTPs at least seven times and received substantial payments, traced to their bank accounts.

Authorities suspect the accounts may have been used to gather sensitive information about individuals in India. STF cyber experts are investigating whether any critical data was accessed or transmitted and whether more individuals were part of the network.

Officials noted that central intelligence agencies had previously flagged similar cases of OTP diversion and illegal SIM card use in other parts of the country. Investigators are also examining potential links between the arrested youths and international terror or militant organizations.

The probe is ongoing.