The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police has arrested two persons from Murshidabad district on charges of allegedly sharing sensitive mobile data with handlers in Pakistan.
The arrests come days after two terror suspects were held in Malda district, heightening security concerns in the region.
OTPs allegedly shared for money
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the West Bengal Police Special Task Force arrested Juhab Shaikh from the Gudhia area on February 10. One mobile phone was recovered from his possession.
During interrogation, investigators allegedly found that Juhab, along with his associate Suman Shaikh, had been sharing one-time passwords (OTPs) through WhatsApp in exchange for money. These OTPs were reportedly linked to Indian SIM cards and were allegedly used for illegal activities.
Police said both the accused are SIM card sellers and are suspected of smuggling OTPs to contacts in Pakistan, enabling control over WhatsApp accounts operated from across the border.
Co-accused remanded, probe continues
Suman Shaikh was arrested on Sunday, produced before a local court and remanded to police custody for further investigation.
A specific case has been registered, and officials are examining the extent of the network and whether more individuals are involved.
Meanwhile, Suman’s mother, Menaka Bibi, denied the allegations, claiming her son worked as a steel furniture maker and was being falsely implicated.
Police said the investigation is ongoing to determine the full scope of the alleged operation and any potential links to wider security concerns.