CBI reaches TMC leader Anubrata Mondal’s Birbhum residence in cattle smuggling case

Kolkata: A team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and CAPF on Thursday raided the house of TMC strongman and Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal in connection with the cattle smuggling case. Mondal skipped the CBI summons yesterday. The TMC leader has been summoned 10 times so far but he appeared before the central agency only once.

Mondal had on Wednesday written to the Central Bureau of Investigation about his inability to appear before its sleuths in connection with the cattle smuggling case citing "illness" as a reason.

The TMC Birbhum district president, who is in his 60s, attached copies of two prescriptions along with his letter and sought two weeks time from the officers of the probe agency to appear before them at its city office. Mondal's counsel on Wednesday morning dropped the letter at the central agency's office in the city.

"We have received a communication from Mondal in which he informed us about his inability to appear before our officers at our office here today. In the letter, Mondal has written that he is on total bed rest as per the advice of the doctors and cannot move outside his residence. He has attached two copies of doctors' prescriptions and requested us to give him two weeks' time to come to our office," the CBI officer was quoted as saying by PTI.

The prescriptions submitted by Mondal are of doctors from the city's SSKM Hospital and Bolpur Hospital.

The CBI had on Tuesday summoned Mondal to come to its city office for questioning in connection with their investigation, a day after the TMC leader skipped appearing before its officers. Mondal had visited the city on Monday but instead of going to the CBI office went to the SSKM Hospital for a check-up.

He has been questioned twice thus far by the central agency, which in the recent past also conducted raids at various locations in the district in connection with the case.

Mondal's bodyguard Saigal Hossain has also been arrested by the probe agency. The TMC leader, who often made headlines for his off-the-cuff remarks on various issues, has been asked by the CBI to appear before it on several occasions in connection with its probe into the cattle scam. In the past, too, Mondal skipped summonses citing ill health.

(With PTI Inputs)