Cattle smuggling scam: Fresh CBI charge sheet names top TMC leader

Kolkata: The CBI charge in the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam case has named Trinamool Congress strongman and the party's Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal as the direct recipient of the proceeds of the scam.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitted the 35 pages charge sheet, the fourth in the matter, at a vacation court in West Burdwan district of West Bengal on Friday morning.

The fresh charge sheet was filed on the 57th day after Mondal's arrest by the central agency from his residence at Bolpur on August 11.

CBI sources said that as per rule the charge sheet against a person has to be submitted within 60 days from the arrest of that person and in this case the central agency has submitted the charge sheet three days ahead of the deadline.

This is for the first time that Mondal's name comes in the CBI charge sheet, which was not present in the previous three supplementary charge sheets filed by the central agency.

In the earlier charge sheets, the central agencies mentioned that a large portion of the proceeds of the cattle smuggling came to Mondal's bodyguard Sehgal Hossian from the smuggling kingpin Enamul Haque.

However, in the fresh charge sheet filed on Friday, sources said, Mondal has been named as a direct beneficiary of the scam, which came to him through Hossain.

It is further learnt that in the fresh charge sheet, CBI has mentioned about fixed deposits worth Rs 18 crore in the names of Mondal, his daughter Sukanya Mondal, his deceased wife Late Chobi Mondal and some of his close family relations.

Besides the fixed deposits, the charge sheet also has references of details of some other savings bank accounts as well as 53 other documents related to moveable property of the Mondal family.

Meanwhile, three officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel probe in the matter, flew from New Delhi and reached Asansol Special Correctional Home on Friday morning. They immediately started questioning Mondal's bodyguard, Sehgal Hossain. This is the first questioning of Hossain by the ED in the case.

Meanwhile, Mondal will be in judicial custody till October 29 and on that day, he will be again presented at the special court of CBI in Asansol.

IANS with inputs