Cattle smuggling case: CBI arrests TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal in dramatic pre-dawn raid

KOLKATA, AUG 12 :  Two Central law-enforcing agencies — the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) — on Thursday went after the Trinamool Congress, arresting its Birbhum strongman in a cattle smuggling case, and summoning eight IPS officers in connection with a coal smuggling case.

While the CBI arrested Anubrata Mondal in a dramatic raid involving 100-odd CRPF personnel from his Birbhum residence after he skipped 10 summons citing ill health, the ED asked eight IPS officers to appear at their Delhi office on staggered dates this month.

Mondal, who began as a fish vendor and rose to become the party’s district chief, was remanded in CBI custody for 10 days by an Asansol court. Outside the court, the local CPM cadre waved flags hailing the arrest, accusing Mondal of inciting violence in the district by delivering provocative speeches.

One of his loaded one-liners in 2019 against the Opposition that questioned the lack of development in Birbhum was, “Development is standing in every road corner. If you challenge it, you will see what real development is.”

In the wee hours of Thursday, CRPF personnel surrounded Mondal’s house. CBI officers then went in, searched rooms and picked up Mondal. “We summoned Mondal 11 times but he turned up only once,’’ said a CBI official.

Mondal’s security guard Saigal Hossain was arrested in the same case recently with the CBI finding his assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Earlier this month, CBI teams raided 13 locations, including the residence of Mondal loyalist Karim Khan and his aide Ziaul Haque. Apart from Rs 17 lakh in cash and 10 mobile phones, it had recovered pen drives hard discs and the key of a locker from them.

As for the ED, its summons to eight IPS officers was in connection with the case in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira were earlier interrogated.

Criticising the action, Trinamool minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the party’s youth and students’ wings will stage demonstrations for two days from Friday across the state.

-PTI