Espionage agents working for ISI intercepted at Memari
The Statesman | 9 July 2025
Two youths, allegedly spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) under the guise of NGO volunteers, have been intercepted by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Bengal Police in East Burdwan.
The accused, Rakesh Gupta and Mukesh Rajak, were arrested from their rented accommodation in Memari municipal town. According to STF officials, the duo had been operating in the area since 2021. On 22 March, 2022, they set up an NGO named Grace Fellowship, with Rakesh and Mukesh acting as president and secretary respectively, while one Tapas Bag was listed as treasurer.
The STF raided two locations in East Burdwan before finally apprehending them at a house beside a large water tank in the Powerhouse locality of Memari. The accused reportedly misled locals by claiming they worked for an NGO. Mukesh, from Canal Road in Panagarh (West Burdwan), also worked part-time at a private college, while Rakesh hailed from Bhowanipore in Kolkata.
Local Trinamul Congress leader Ghulam Jarjis said: “They were baptising many poor families into Christianity, mainly in the Amodpur panchayat area. The NGO officially claimed to provide vocational training for unemployed youths.”
The STF acted on intelligence inputs and began tracking their mobile numbers and movements. It was discovered that the pair were sharing sensitive information with Pakistan’s ISI by exploiting Indian WhatsApp accounts. Their espionage activities allegedly involved sending one-time passwords (OTPs) from SIM cards in exchange for large sums of money.
The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, has remanded the duo to STF custody for seven days. They have been charged under Sections 61, 316(2), and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; Sections 20 and 25 of the Indian Telegraph Act; Section 6 of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act; and Section 14C of the Foreigners Act.
Authorities suspect that Rakesh and Mukesh were part of a larger espionage network and that their activities posed a serious threat to national security.