The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Wednesday conducted raids at four locations in West Bengal’s Bolpur and Kolkata in connection with a cattle smuggling case. A Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor Biswajyoti Bandyopadhyay, who shares close ties with arrested party strongman Anubrata Mondal, was detained for questioning during the searches, reported news agency PTI.
CBI sleuths simultaneously conducted raids at residences of two other local TMC leaders, who are also close associates of Mondal and are suspected of playing an important role in the scam, said an official.
West Bengal | CBI search underway at the residence of a businessman, in Bolpur, Birbhum. He is a close aide of TMC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal.
CBI searches are underway at four places in the state, in Bolpur & Kolkata in connection with cattle smuggling case. pic.twitter.com/gllZqpVM4v
— ANI (@ANI) August 31, 2022
“Names of these three persons had come up during our investigation. We need to find out what were their exact roles and how much they benefitted from the scam,” the official was quoted as saying by PTI.
Several documents have been seized in the raids, and is now being examined by the CBI to ascertain their role in the scam.
“We are talking to these people to find out relevant information about their involvement. We are verifying the documents that have been seized,” the official added.
Anubrata Mondal, the Trinamool Congress’ Birbhum District President, who is also believed to be a close associate of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was arrested on August 11 in a 2020 cattle smuggling case after he skipped several CBI summons.
Mondal had earlier sought more time to appear before the agency, with his lawyer citing illness as the reason.
Anubrata Mondal’s name came under the CBI scanner during an interrogation of a former Border Security Force (BSF) Commandant arrested on September 21, 2020 for illegal cross-border trade of cattle.