{
  "id": 1046899,
  "title": "SIM card smuggling, counterfeit currency notes: 3 arrested in West Bengal over suspected Pakistan-based ISI links",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/sim-card-smuggling-counterfeit-currency-notes-3-arrested-in-west",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-15T13:47:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sim-cards-smuggling-counterfeit-currency-notes-three-arrested-in-west-bengal-over-suspected-pakistan-based-isi-links-101786800891502.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) has arrested three individuals from Cooch Behar district in a case allegedly linked to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), news agency PTI reported. The accused, Rashidul Haque, Nur Nasiruddin Ali, and Shafiqul Islam, were apprehended from Sahebganj area of Dinahata, north Bengal. They are accused of espionage activities, smuggling Indian SIM cards to Pakistan via Bangladesh, and producing counterfeit currency notes. The trio were produced in court on Saturday and remanded in police custody for 14 days. Hamim Mondal, an operative linked to Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and his associate Arpita Sarkar were also arrested in Bardhaman and Sahibgunj respectively. Another associate, Aditya Singh alias Raju, was apprehended in Howrah. Pakistani national Rana Rauf, alias Wahab Alam, was nabbed near the Bangladesh border.",
  "summary": "An official said on Saturday that the three accused were arrested for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to Pakistan’s ISI.",
  "key_points": [
    "Three arrested in West Bengal for suspected Pakistan-based ISI links",
    "Accused involved in SIM card smuggling and counterfeit currency notes",
    "Linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Pakistani national Rana Rauf apprehended"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}