In a fresh trouble for Mamata Banerjee’s Govt in West Bengal & TMC Strongman ‘Didi’s’close aide Anubrata Mandal, The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has frozen fixed deposits worth Rs 16.97 crore allegedly belonging to the TMC leader yesterday in the ongoing probe into the West Bengal illegal cattle smuggling across the Indo-Bangladesh border.
Majority of these fixed deposits were held at Bolpur branch of the Bank of India (BOI), which is located nearby Mondal’s ancestral residence there. Mondal’s chartered accountant, Manish Kothari and two of the BOI’s Bolpur branch officers were questioned there by the CBI officials on Wednesday morning.
The CBI on Wednesday also visited Anubrata Mandal’s residence in Bolpur to question his daughter Sukanya but she refused to talk to them. The CBI team discovered the fixed deposits after their continued probe in the case.
Anubrata Mondal is being quizzed at CBI headquarters at Nizam Palace about the sources of the money in the Cattle Smuggling case.
The Central Bureau of Investigation in its chargesheet had claimed that Anubrata Mandal’s bodyguard was in possession of ‘ ill-gotten’ wealth of around 100 crores that he earned over a period of seven years from 2015-2022. The money from the proceeds of the crime was used to buy several properties in & around Bolpur. The investigative agencies have revealed almost 35 properties had been purchased by Hossain during 2015 and 2022.
According to the CBI chargesheet, Hossain allegedly received the ‘illgotten’ money from a cattle smuggling Kingpin named Enamul Haque, for providing help to the associates of the crime. The officials also added Enamul Haq who used to buy animals at a market in Ilambazar, & then used it to ferry animals from Ilambazar to Indo-Bangla border under the Patronage of Anubrata Mandal & Vikas Mishra, brother of absconding TMC leader Vinay Mishra.
It is pertinent to say West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had come to Anubrata Mandal’s defence a few days ago.
Targeting the Central government for arresting Anubrata, she said , “Why did you arrest Keshto? What was his fault? If you arrest one Keshto there will be more leaders like him.”
” Despite several requests, he never wanted to become MLA, MP or didn’t want to go to Rajya Sabha.”, She added with almost hinting that Anubrata Mandal is innocent.
This is in stark contrast to the Partha Chatterjee fiasco where the party was quick to distance itself from the Former Education Minister who was arrested post recovery of 50 crores of cash, jewelry and properties worth rupees several crores from his close associate Arpita Mukherjee’s residence in Kolkata.
Notwithstanding the fact that Mamata Banerjee has always maintained her party’s clean & the Trinamool Congress are not involved in corrupt practices, there’s a sea change in the way people of West Bengal perceive things now. There was spontaneous jubilation in various parts of the state after the recent arrest of heavyweight leaders like Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal almost signalling as it was inevitable.
It is also pertinent to say that a massive buzz was triggered after Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee’s posters which claimed that a “new TMC” will be formed in the next six months came up in south Kolkata.
The posters were put up in the Hazra and Rashbehari areas of South Kolkata to much fanfare on social media.
It remains to be seen how Mamata Banerjee govt remains to stay afloat amidst a never ending date of massive setback one after the other.
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