A supplementary prosecution complaint filed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) before a court has blown the lid off the cattle smuggling scam case in West Bengal with the startling revelation of the involvement of the Border Security Force (BSF) and a syndicate operated at the behest of arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal.
The 204-page document filed before the court on May 4 pointed out that mostly the “cattle were crossed between 11 PM and 3 A.M. in night. Prior setting in this regard were made in connivance with BSF officials by Md. Enamul Haque and his associates”. Mr. Haque is an accused in the cross border cattle smuggling scam and is presently lodged in judicial custody.
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The ED’s prosecution complaint pointed out that all truck drivers transporting the cattle of this syndicate were given a “PAD [Token] which was used as an identification so that there is no hindrance by local administration or police authority in transportation of cattle”.
The investigation agency pointed out that truck drivers were given direction as to which BOP (border outpost) in Murshidabad district under the 36 Battalion of the BSF. Satish Kumar, a former Commandant of the 36 Battalion was arrested in the scam and is in judicial custody.
₹12.80 crore cash deposit
The document points to the involvement of the TMC’s Birbhum district president in the cattle smuggling syndicate. According to the prosecution’s complaint, cash of ₹12,80,98,237 (₹12.80 crore) was deposited in the bank accounts of Mr. Mondal and his family members and their business entities from the proceeds of the crime. “On the perusal of the bank accounts of Shri Anubrata Mondal, his family members and related business concerns, it is found that there have been huge cash deposits made during the relevant period in these bank accounts,” the document said.
Point of contact
The document also reveals that Mr. Mondal’s security guard, Sehegal Hossain, was the point of contact between the Trinamool heavyweight and those directly associated with cattle smuggling. “Anubrata Mondal used his political influence to provide protection and patronage to the syndicate of cattle smuggling. Md Emanul Haque was in constant touch with Anubrata Mondal through his bodyguard Sehegal Hossain,” the document said.
The ED has also claimed that Mr. Mondal provided support and protection to Mr. Haque and his associates “in lieu of accepting illegal proceeds of crime generated from the predicate offence of cattle smuggling from Emanul Haque and his associates”.
Mr. Mondal was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in August 2022 and has been behind bars since then. At present, the Trinamool strongman, who remains the party’s Birbhum district president, is lodged at Tihar Jail in Delhi. His absence has posed a challenge for the Trinamool, which is trying to assert its political dominance in Birbhum, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself is looking into the party organisation of the district. In April, the ED arrested the Trinamool leader’s daughter, Sukanya Mondal, in connection with the scam, and the document also refers to her role in money laundering.
The ED’s document makes references to two companies — ”M/s Neer Developers Pvt Ltd and M/s ANM Agrochem Foods Pvt“. According to the agency, Mr. Mondal, with the help of Manish Kothari, a Chartered Accountant who has also been arrested in the scam, “acquired these companies through which proceeds were laundered and immovable properties were procured”.
Three lotteries for Anubrata
The ED’s document refers to several persons, including Bidyut Baran Gayen and Biswajyoti Banerjee, who were “working as a servant” in Mr. Mondal’s house, and were used as “benamidar” to launder the proceeds of crime. Bijay Rajak, a vegetable seller who later became Mr. Mondal’s masseur, has said in his statement to the agency that Mr. Hossain made him sign bank account forms and cheque books of the Suri Cooperative Bank. Similarly, Shyamapada Karmakar, a wall writer for the TMC, and Arko Dutta, another Trinamool worker, have recorded before the agency that they used to deposit cash in bank accounts in Bolpur at the instructions of Mr. Hossain.
Ram Pradip Ganguli, who owns a lottery shop in Birbhum, had in his statement before the agency said that Mr. Mondal “had directed him through Biswajyoti Banerjee to arrange for the prize for him and he had done the same thrice; that prize of ₹50 lakhs was arranged for him twice and ₹1 crore was arranged once”.
