The West Bengal Police’s Special Task Force (STF) has arrested two men from the Pingla area in Paschim Medinipur district on suspicion of spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Investigators allege that the duo supplied Bharatiya SIM cards and OTPs to Pakistani handlers, helping activate WhatsApp accounts that were then used for espionage-related communication.
The arrested men have been identified as Sheikh Mursalin, a resident of Kshirai Panchayat under Pingla police station, and Goutam Khara of Surjchak in the same locality. According to police sources, both were involved in the sale and activation of SIM cards, largely in minority-dominated areas, and Mursalin allegedly forwarded SIM numbers to contacts in Pakistan. Once the Pakistani handlers activated WhatsApp accounts with those numbers, Mursalin would reportedly receive the OTPs on the Bharatiya SIMs in his possession and pass them on, allegedly earning between ₹3,000 and ₹5,000 per OTP.
Police also suspect that the two were involved in sending sensitive information and images to Pakistan. Officials said they used WhatsApp to exchange information and were reportedly paid in return for their services. Investigators are now examining whether this was part of a wider cross-border espionage operation built around mobile numbers and encrypted messaging platforms.
Locals said Goutam and Mursalin had been selling SIM cards door to door in the area for several years, using an e-rickshaw owned by Goutam. They primarily operated in Muslim-majority localities, and in several instances allegedly sold SIMs without the required documentation. Police believe this local distribution network may have helped them activate a large number of mobile numbers without raising immediate suspicion.
Investigators suspect the pair facilitated the activation of around 400 SIM cards over the past three years. A search operation led to the recovery of multiple mobile phones and a substantial number of pre-activated SIM cards. Police have also found evidence of communication with foreign numbers, including possible links to Pakistan, which has strengthened suspicion of an organised network behind the arrests.
West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Papia Sultana confirmed the arrests and said the investigation is ongoing. “Two people have been arrested based on information we got… Many SIMs were found with them, and some connections and communications were also found, which may be from foreign countries; they have been arrested on this basis,” she said.
The arrests were made on Tuesday evening after a case was registered by the STF. The duo was produced before the Bidhannagar Court in Kolkata on Wednesday and remanded to 14 days of police custody. A case has been registered against them under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Telegraph Act, and the Foreigners Act.
The case comes amid heightened concern over espionage networks that use mobile numbers and digital platforms for covert communication. The STF is now probing whether the two men were part of a larger syndicate and is also examining their travel history. Mursalin is reported to have travelled to Thailand multiple times, with those trips allegedly financed by Pakistani agents, and his documents are now under scrutiny to determine whether he also visited Pakistan.
