Bengal STF Arrests Topsia Youth in Suspected ISI-Linked Spy Network; Rishra Hideout Exposed

Kolkata, August 20, 2026: The West Bengal Police Special Task Force (STF) has arrested Zafar Shams alias Sunny, a youth from Kolkata’s Topsia area, from Rishra in Hooghly district in connection with an alleged Pakistan-linked espionage network. His arrest has emerged as another development in the investigation surrounding suspected Pakistani operative Rana Rauf alias Wahab Alam.

According to reports, Sunny had been staying away from Topsia after investigators began making arrests in the case. STF officers eventually traced him to Rishra, where he was arrested from the Sandhya Bazar area on Tuesday evening. Investigators are now questioning him to establish the extent of his alleged association with Rauf and the wider network.

The circumstances surrounding Sunny’s arrest have drawn particular attention. According to local reports, he unexpectedly visited an old acquaintance’s shop in Rishra and asked to use the acquaintance’s mobile phone, saying that his own phone was out of charge.

He reportedly used the phone to speak to his wife. During the conversation, Sunny allegedly asked her to take care of their daughter and told her to “stay well.” Within minutes of ending the call, STF personnel arrived and took him into custody, according to the shopkeeper quoted in local media.

The sequence has provided a striking account of how investigators located him, although the precise operational details of the STF’s surveillance have not been publicly disclosed.

Investigators suspect Sunny of helping Rana Rauf, who has been described in reports as a Pakistani national suspected of having links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

According to the allegations reported by the STF and media outlets, Sunny introduced Rauf as a friend and helped him obtain employment at a factory in Salkia. He is also accused of assisting Rauf in obtaining Indian identity documents. These allegations remain subject to investigation and have not been established by a court.

Rauf’s arrest earlier this month triggered a wider investigation. STF subsequently arrested other alleged associates, including Imran Hossain, while another associate, Ijaz Ali, was also arrested in connection with the suspected network.

The arrest of Sunny therefore represents a further expansion of the investigation, with officers examining whether he played a role in facilitating the alleged activities of the suspected Pakistani operative.

Investigators reportedly believe Sunny went to Rishra after arrests began in the case. The area was not unfamiliar to him: his family had previously lived in a rented house on Gandhi Road in Rishra before moving to Topsia around seven years ago. His father had reportedly worked at a jute mill in Rishra.

Former neighbours expressed surprise after learning of his arrest, according to local reports. The house where his family once lived has since been replaced by a residential complex.

The STF is now questioning Sunny to determine whether he had a direct role in the alleged espionage activities and whether other people were involved. Authorities are also examining the suspected network’s activities and its alleged attempts to establish local support.

Police have so far described the case in terms of suspected espionage and links to an alleged ISI network, rather than treating every arrested associate as a proven terrorist. The allegations against Sunny will ultimately have to be tested through the legal process.

The latest arrest underscores the expanding scope of the West Bengal STF’s investigation into alleged Pakistan-linked espionage activities in and around Kolkata. As questioning continues, investigators are expected to focus on Sunny’s relationship with Rana Rauf, the alleged assistance provided to him, and whether the network extended beyond those already arrested.