Overview
- On Wednesday, Aug 12, 2026, the West Bengal Special Task Force arrested Rana Rauf (alias Wahab Alam) near Bangaon and a second suspect from Topsia in Kolkata.
- Officials say Rauf is a Pakistani national accused of operating as an ISI intelligence asset inside India using forged Aadhaar and voter ID documents.
- Investigators seized mobile phones and other electronic material that they say contain sensitive information on Indian Army movements and railway infrastructure and have sent the devices for forensic analysis.
- STF officers say Rauf entered India repeatedly via the open Indo‑Nepal border since about 2012, stayed at the same Topsia address on visits, and was caught while allegedly trying to cross into Bangladesh; both suspects have been produced before Barasat court and placed in custody.
- Police are tracing contacts across West Bengal, Nepal and Bangladesh to map a possible network, a probe that could prompt further intelligence and diplomatic coordination and tighter local security checks near unfenced border stretches.