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Six arrested in Assam over alleged fraud network linked to Pakistan operatives: Police
In an official statement, Assam police said the STF took up the investigation following intelligence inputs from Gajraj Military Intelligence (MI), Tezpur
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Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF) arrested six persons in Guwahati for their alleged involvement in an organised financial fraud network linked to Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs), police said on Monday.
The racket allegedly used mule bank accounts to route fraudulent transactions across the country and cheated victims of several crores of rupees over the past two years, the STF said.
In an official statement, Assam police said the STF took up the investigation following intelligence inputs from Gajraj Military Intelligence (MI), Tezpur. The case originated from a complaint lodged in Sonitpur district last month regarding an online financial fraud and was subsequently transferred to the STF for further investigation.
During the investigation, the STF found that a bank account held by Guwahati resident Marjina Begum (28) received large sums of money over a short period. The account received credits amounting to several lakhs of rupees between June 22 and August 5, 2026. The money was withdrawn almost immediately after each deposit, indicating a suspicious pattern of financial transactions, police said.
Further investigation revealed the alleged involvement of Mofijul Haque (22) and Himangshu Das (19), both residents of Guwahati, in suspicious financial transactions linked to Marjina’s account.
Preliminary findings indicated that their activities were linked to a Pakistan Intelligence Operative (PIO), prompting the agency to investigate the suspected connections further, the STF said.
The STF launched an operation on October 28 and arrested Marjina, Mofijul and Himangshu. Mobile phones and incriminating documents were recovered from their possession.
During interrogation, Mofijul and Himangshu allegedly disclosed the names of several other persons associated with the racket. Acting on the information, the STF arrested three more persons in subsequent operations.
They were identified as Rakib Hussain (34), a resident of Ganesh Bagar; Iftar Hussain (25), from Uzanbazar; and Arman Aziz Hoque (20), from Ananda Bagar. All three are residents of Guwahati. Rakib was arrested on October 29, while Iftar and Arman were arrested on October 30.
The STF also seized mobile phones, laptops, electronic gadgets, bank passbooks, ATM cards and other documents during the operations, which were assisted by Guwahati City Police.
The investigation so far indicates that the financial fraud syndicate had been operating across different parts of the country for approximately two years, using multiple mule bank accounts to facilitate fraudulent transactions, the STF said. Preliminary findings suggest that victims have been defrauded of several crores of rupees.
The suspected mastermind of the racket is believed to be coordinating and controlling the activities of other members from outside Assam, the STF said. The agency is continuing its investigation to identify and arrest the remaining members, trace the movement of the fraudulent funds and identify additional mule bank accounts.
The STF is also examining the nature and extent of the racket’s links with Pakistan-based intelligence operatives and whether other anti-national elements were involved.
The latest arrests come weeks after a separate espionage-related case in Assam. On October 4, the STF arrested a Bihar resident and a retired Indian Army personnel in Guwahati for allegedly sharing information about Army movements with a Pakistan Intelligence Operative.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed the retired Army personnel’s arrest at a press conference, saying that he had been working with the Army on a contractual basis after retirement.
“He, along with the other person, was sharing all the updates regarding Indian Army’s movements here,” Sarma said. He added that both accused had been honey-trapped by a Pakistani operative through online platform.
The Bihar resident was identified as Abhishek Kumar Singh (31). He was arrested from a rented house in Gandhinagar under Satgaon police station during an operation in the intervening night of October 3 and 4.
On October 5, the STF arrested another Bihar resident, Ritesh Kumar Singh (39), from the same rented house. Police said both were allegedly involved in espionage-related activities, including passing secret information concerning security forces to the Pakistani operative.
The police did not disclose the nature of the information allegedly shared or the method through which it was transmitted. The identity of the retired Army personnel was also not made public.
