Jaish operative Hamim Mandal was already under arrest over suspected terror activities, and in a key development linked to that same investigation, his girlfriend Arpita Sarkar was arrested from Sahibganj in Jharkhand on Saturday. The arrest was carried out by the state police's Special Task Force, or STF. She was subsequently produced before the East Bardhaman district court under heavy security, with the entire court complex placed under the watch of central security forces. Investigators said a detailed examination of Hamim Mandal's mobile phone and digital data threw up crucial information about Sarkar, which led to her being taken into custody.
Who is Arpita Sarkar?
According to the STF, Arpita Sarkar runs her own event management business and also works as a photographer. Investigators believe her profession brought her into regular contact with several influential and VVIP individuals, and all of these contacts are now being scrutinised closely. The investigation has also found that Sarkar allegedly used an encrypted messaging app called Element X on her iPhone 16 Pro. The app is built on the Matrix protocol, which allows both messages and video calls to be exchanged in an end-to-end secure manner. That is precisely why it has become crucial for investigators to establish exactly who Sarkar spoke to through the app, for what purpose, and what kind of contact it was.
What are the allegations against Arpita Sarkar?
Based on its preliminary investigation, the STF claims that instructions and information linked to certain important individuals allegedly reached Sarkar from Pakistan through a honeytrap. However, this remains a claim for now, its veracity is yet to be confirmed, and it will still have to be proven in court. To dig deeper into the case and gather further evidence about the wider network, the STF sought 13 days of police remand from the court, which was granted. Investigators are simultaneously working to establish who else may be part of this network.
It is worth noting that all the claims mentioned above have been attributed to the investigating agencies. The probe is still underway, and the final call on the charges will rest with the court.
