In a major crackdown, the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police arrested two accused from Murshidabad for allegedly running an illegal OTP sharing racket with suspected cross-border connections. The accused, identified as Juhab and Suman, were allegedly providing OTP credentials and SIM-linked digital access to handlers based in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The investigation began on February 10 following a tip-off, leading to Juhab’s arrest. Based on his interrogation, STF officials tracked down and arrested his associate Suman, who was later produced before a court in Bidhan Nagar and remanded to police custody.

According to officials, the accused used platforms like WhatsApp and other digital channels to sell OTPs for money. These OTPs allegedly enabled foreign handlers to create and operate social media accounts, access digital services, and potentially carry out identity theft and financial fraud using Indian credentials.

Investigators are also probing possible links between the accused and terror-related activities. The arrests come amid a separate probe by the Delhi Police into a suspected terror module linked to Lashkar‑e‑Taiba and Inter‑Services Intelligence. Authorities believe such OTP networks may have supported anonymous and illegal digital operations inside India.

Further interrogation is underway to uncover the full scale of the network and its possible national security implications.