Bengal cattle smuggling case: Anubrata Mondal in BIG trouble, CBI finds ‘link between TMC Bahubali and…’

KOLKATA: In more trouble for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Bahubali leader Anubrata Mondal, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has found some crucial clues that connect him with Border Security Force (BSF) commandant, Satish Kumar, arrested in connection with his alleged role in the cattle smuggling scam.

The first link, according to CBI sources quoted by news agency IANS, is the timing of the posting of Kumar, as commandant of BSF`s 36th battalion at the Indo- Bangladesh borders in West Bengal`s Murshidabad district, traditionally considered as the epicentre of cross-border cattle smuggling in smuggling in West Bengal. Kumar was posted there between 2015 and 2017, exactly the time period when the quantum of assets of Anubrata Mondal skyrocketed maximum.

The second link, according to sources, is that Satish Kumar`s son, Bhuban Bhaskar, was employed as an accountant in Hoque Industries Private Limited, a shell company prompted by Mondal`s close associate, Enamul Hoque, who is currently under the central agency custody. 

Hoque had been taken into custody both by the sleuths of CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel probe in the money trail angle of the cattle smuggling racket. Bhaskar was paid a monthly salary of Rs 40,000 as per the records of the company and he was employed there till December 2017, which again coincides with the timing of his father`s posting as battalion commandant in Murshidabad district.

Two other companies promoted by Hoque namely Hoque Mercantile Private Limited, Hoque Logistics Private Limited and Anant Tradecom Private Limited are also under the scanner of the two investigative agencies namely CBI and ED.

Sources said that both CBI and ED sleuths are in constant touch with the officials of the Registrar of Companies (ROC) for securing details of the directors of these companies as well as the other companies they are the directors.

"Be it in the West Bengal School Service Commission recruitment scam or the cattle smuggling scam, the names of different shell companies. Once we get the name of such an involved shell company, by cross-checking from ROC, we get the names of the other companies having the same directors. In the case of the WBSSC scam also we tracked a number of such shell companies, which are mainly used to channelize money earned through illegal means to different channels," an ED official said. 

Anubrata Mondal not cooperating in probe: CBI

 

Meanwhile, it has also come to light that Mondal is not cooperating with the CBI in the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee`s expression of solidarity.

TMC supremo at a programme on Sunday gave a clear message that her sympathy and support towards the party`s Birbhum district president continues even after his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths in the scam.

On Monday after Mondal was informed about the chief minister`s stand by his counsel, following which he heaved a sigh of relief and also informed the reporters through his counsel that he was confident that the "supreme leader would be beside him in this moment of crisis".

CBI sources said that since the news of the chief minister`s expression of solidarity reached Mondal, who was otherwise quite devastated since his arrest, went on a total non-cooperation mode during the probe.

(With IANS Inputs)