Fazle Rabbi, the brother of a Trinamool Congress leader, was arrested by the West Bengal Special Task Force on the night of 21 August 2026 in Uttar Dinajpur. The arrest was made in connection with allegations of espionage for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. Rabbi is the brother of Zakir Hossain, the former Trinamool Congress Islampur block president. The police action follows a series of recent arrests linked to suspected terror and espionage activities in the region.
According to The Indian Express, Fazle Rabbi’s name surfaced during the interrogation of three men previously detained on espionage charges. The Special Task Force stated that information provided by Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, one of those arrested earlier, led to Rabbi’s apprehension. The authorities allege that Rabbi maintained contact with individuals suspected of involvement in cross-border intelligence activities.
Further details emerged during the investigation indicating that Rabbi was allegedly in communication with Rana Rauf, also known as Wahab Alam, a Pakistani national arrested in North 24 Parganas on 12 August 2026 for suspected terrorism links. The STF has connected these arrests to a broader network involving hawala transactions, counterfeit currency smuggling, and the supply of Indian SIM cards to Pakistan via Bangladesh.
On 21 August, STF officials also referenced the arrest of Pradeep Basu, a software engineer from Delhi, who is accused of being a Pakistani spy and was remanded to eight days’ police custody by a Dinhata court. Basu, a resident of Siliguri, faces allegations of facilitating illegal financial transactions and supporting espionage operations. The authorities have linked these cases as part of an ongoing crackdown on suspected ISI-linked activities in West Bengal and neighbouring states.
“He is being targeted because he is the brother of a senior Trinamool leader. This is political vendetta and nothing else,” Rabbi’s wife, Nur Nehar Begum, told the media, as quoted in the coverage.
Additional arrests in recent weeks include Mohammad Shafiqul Islam from Uttar Dinajpur, and Nur Nasiruddin Ali and Rashidul Haque from Cooch Behar, who were detained for allegedly using the Army Welfare Education Society’s name as a cover for espionage. The STF claims that these individuals were part of a coordinated effort to gather sensitive information and facilitate illegal activities on behalf of foreign handlers as investigations continued.
On 31 July, Hamim Mondal was arrested in Burdwan, followed by the detention of his girlfriend, Arpita Sarkar, in Jharkhand on 1 August. The STF has stated that these arrests are interconnected and form part of a larger probe into suspected espionage and terror financing networks operating in eastern India. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities pursue further leads.
“The development follows a series of arrests linked to suspected terror activities over the past few weeks,” the STF stated, highlighting the scale of the operation.
Rabbi’s family has denied all allegations, asserting that the arrest is politically motivated due to his relation to a senior Trinamool Congress leader. The police have not released further details regarding the evidence collected or the specific charges filed, but have confirmed that the investigation is active and additional arrests may follow as new information is obtained.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.