The Trinamool Congress suffered a major loss of face after the Special Task Force of Kolkata Police on Sunday arrested three party activists, one being a student leader and two others active members of the INTTUC, the labour arm of the Bengal ruling outfit on charges of spying for Pakistan.

The arrests followed interrogation of Md Ejaz an ISI agent who was on Friday arrested from Meerut by the security forces. Following leads given by Ejaz the STF picked up Asfaq Ansari general secretary of Trinamool Congress-run students’ union of Harimohan Ghosh College at Garden Reach in southern Kolkata.

This is the same college where a police officer was gunned down during students’ union polls about two years ago. Along with Asfaq, a BA Third Year political science student, the police also arrested his father Md Ershad Ansari and his maternal uncle Jehangir. Ershad is an INTTUC leader at the Garden Reach Ship Builders who allegedly helped Ejaz procure vital photographs and other information regarding warships and other facilities police sources said.

Police sources said Md Ershad was inducted into the ISI by his elder brother, who went to Pakistan as a leather worker way back in 2002.

They collected information on defence installation and layouts of the warships. Modus operandi of collecting information was simple police said adding Ershad, who worked as a peon would collect the torn pieces of papers — often containing vital clues —disposed off by the officers in litter bins.

He also used his position to get close to the high security areas and photograph installations and the warships alongwith Pakistani national Ejaz who was earlier arrested by Meerut police.

Asfaq, a tech-savvy fellow would then help his father digitising the information and then hand them over to moles in Bangladesh. In fact, he had visited that country twice.

The Sunday’s development came in tandem with reports of BSF intercepting a Bangla national crossing over to India with fake notes worth `18 lakh and some secret documents. The NIA is likely to grill the infiltrator and find out any link between him and the ISI modules arrested in Kolkata.

locals, who identified Ejaz from television clippings, also said that he was a regular visitor at Asfaq’s house and even attended social functions there. Asfaq a good orator in turn is “very close to a local Trinamool Congress councilor and a State Minister from South Kolkata” a neighbor said, refusing to be identified.

Both Jehangir and Ershad along with Asfaq allegedly helped Ejaz get a fake EPIC card with the help of which he could manage a job at the Garden Reach Ship Builders. Ershad, who is the “right hand man of Md Shamim a known INTTUC leader”, backed Ejaz’s candidature for a job at the ship building company, sources added. Ejaz had sneaked into India via river route about two years ago and had secured a job in Kolkata.

Jehangir on the other hand is a tailor and who also “helps others secure Indian passport” in lieu of money a sister of Asfaq Ansari said adding he had helped about a hundred person in getting passport.

The family of Ershad had migrated to Bengal from Bangladesh about 20 years ago. They settled down at Kacchi Sadak area of Garden Reach and gradually built up their base here by joining a particular political party sources said adding Asfaq was born in Kolkata.

The police said Asfaq Ansari had been to Bangladesh with a job permit and had worked there for some time. It was being investigated as to whether he got in touch with Ejaz in that country or whether the Meerut mole was known to the Ansaris even before that.

When asked to comment on the ISI agents’ Trinamool connections State TMCP president Ashok Rudra refused to comment saying “I have heard about the incident but am not sure about the whole development. I can only comment after taking full information about the incident.”

The Sunday’s arrest came close on the heels of the arrests of Akhtar and Jafar Khan of Tiljala area in Kolkata.

Amid increasing reports of Kolkata becoming a save haven for the anti-national agents the STF had earlier raided a home at Tiljala and arrested Akhtar and his brother Jafar Khan who reportedly acted as an ISI sleeper cell. It was later known that the catering service run by the Khan brothers was used as a smokescreen behind which a complex Pakistani spy and informers’ network worked in the city often with the political support of the ruling party, sources said adding it was being ascertained whether Asfaq and others were also acquainted with the Khans.