Kolkata, August 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pakistani national Wahab Alam, arrested from Habra in West Bengal, had allegedly planned to cross into Bangladesh and later return to the state with a new identity and fresh assignments, investigators have found.
According to sources, Alam told Special Task Force (STF) investigators during interrogation that his handlers in Pakistan had instructed him to temporarily escape to Bangladesh. The alleged plan was to remain there during a “cooling period” before returning to West Bengal to carry out new assignments.
Investigators reportedly recovered details of a Bangladesh-based alleged Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operative named Pavel while examining Alam’s netbook. Pavel, who is allegedly operating from Jessore, was supposed to arrange a safe house for Alam in Bangladesh, brief him about new assignments and facilitate his return to West Bengal, sources said.
Alam is reportedly suspected of having been sent to West Bengal by the ISI to gather information relating to the Indian Army, Navy and Railways in the eastern sector.
Sources said Alam and his alleged Pakistani handlers became cautious after his name was removed from the voters’ list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise conducted ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Alam reportedly told investigators that he was advised to leave Topsia, where he had previously been enrolled as a voter, and temporarily relocate to a district near the India-Bangladesh border before crossing into Bangladesh.
He subsequently took shelter in Habra in North 24 Parganas district, where STF personnel arrested him. Based on information obtained during his interrogation, investigators also arrested his alleged local associate, Mohammad Izaz, in Topsia.
Izaz had reportedly accommodated Alam as a tenant and allegedly helped him obtain forged Indian identity documents, including an Aadhaar card, PAN card and Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC).
Investigators have also found that Alam entered India through the India-Nepal border in 2012 and subsequently lived in different parts of West Bengal, frequently changing his place of residence.
The investigation is continuing, with authorities examining Alam’s alleged links with Pakistan-based handlers and the Bangladesh-based operative, as well as the network that allegedly helped him obtain Indian identity documents.
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