Burdwan: Until Special Task Force (STF) personnel surrounded the Renaissance Fitness Studio gym on Thursday night in Burdwan’s upscale Renaissance Township off NH-2, local residents had no idea that their neighbour of three months had been under scanner for terror links. Township residents reacted with shock to the revelation. To them, the family — who mostly kept to themselves — appeared well-behaved, and residents knew 24-year-old Hamim Mondal as an IT-sector employee working in Kolkata.Mondal lived at the township with his parents, brother, and sister, and had obtained a membership at the gym on June 21, 2026. The flat where he stayed (RH9/28) is owned by Ekta Mehra, who currently resides in Delhi.Township residents said plainclothes STF personnel had been keeping Mondal under surveillance since Thursday evening. Around 8.03 pm, STF personnel arrested Mondal when he arrived at the gym. CCTV footage from the gym reportedly shows officers entering the facility while Mondal was exercising. They approached him and, after he collected his bag and mobile phone, they took him into custody.A neighbour, Swaswati Goswami, said, “From my front window, I saw several cops in plain clothes bring Mondal out of the gym and into the apartment. Beyond that, I don’t know anything. We are extremely frightened. Mondal’s family appeared very simple and ordinary; we would often see him buying fruit or taking out the household trash. How could anyone know he was allegedly involved in terrorism? However, when police enter a housing complex, it harms its reputation. It feels unsettling to think that an alleged militant was living next door. I also live here as a tenant, and my lease with the landlord is renewed every three years.”Ananya Banerjee, another resident of Renaissance Township, said, “The biggest problem here are brokers. In such a large housing society, brokers rent out flats without proper documentation. They do not even inform the Burdwan Police Station. Even the management at Renaissance turns a blind eye to these issues; they haven’t compiled a list of brokers or held discussions with them. The entire system is questionable, and we are living with a constant sense of insecurity.”One of the brokers Banerjee referred to is Syed Mazharul Ali, through whom Mondal’s father had rented the flat in Renaissance. Mazharul runs a grocery store inside Renaissance Township.Mazharul said, “About three months ago, Mondal’s uncle Bapan — who also lives in Renaissance — told me that his elder brother who lives in Monteswar’s Kusumgram wanted to rent a flat here so he could also look after the family’s property in the village. Earlier, they used to live in Howrah. After submitting their Aadhaar cards, they rented the flat belonging to Mehra, which had been vacant for the last nine years. I do not know anything beyond this.”This township — among the largest in Burdwan — is spread over 254 acres.Suprabhat Ghosh, a medical representative and resident of Renaissance Township, said that for the sake of security, the Renaissance Association, the police, and the municipal authorities should have complete records of all tenants. “We are living in fear due to a lack of security. Every apartment owner who rents out their flat must be more vigilant. Burdwan has witnessed incidents like the Khagragarh blast. We chose to live in Renaissance for a peaceful life, but now a militant has been arrested here. Such elements must be completely eliminated. The govt must take strong and decisive action.”Someli Ghosh, another resident of Renaissance Township, alleged that the security guards at the complex are ineffective and lack proper training. “It is a very open space, and outsiders frequently gather on the grounds, often staying there throughout the night. There was a theft just two days ago. Now, a militant has been arrested here. Although police officers, including a DIG, SP, and IPS officers, live here, we still feel completely unsafe.”