TMC leader Anubrata Mondal sent to 10-day CBI custody in Cattle Smuggling case

After Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the cattle smuggling scam, the central agency on Thursday got 10-day custody of the TMC Birbhum district president, till August 20, after a hearing in a CBI court in Asansol. It is important to note that Mondal was arrested after he repeatedly skipped the summons of the central agency in connection with the scam multiple times.

While he was taken to the court earlier in the day, a massive protest was witnessed outside, where protestors raised 'chor, chor' slogans, and one of them even hurled a shoe at the TMC leader, which was captured on camera. 

After arresting Mondal, the CBI issued an official statement, and said, "CBI today arrested an accused in a case related to alleged illegal cross-border trade of cattle. The said accused was consistently avoiding CBI’s summons for long and did not cooperate with the CBI investigation into the case."

"It was also alleged that the accused persons were organizing and patronizing large-scale illegal cattle smuggling to neighbouring countries and collecting huge money from other persons," the agency added. 

TMC's Anubrata Mondal arrested in cattle smuggling scam

After skipping 10 summons in connection with the cattle smuggling case citing ill-health as an excuse, the CBI arrested the TMC Birbhum district president from his Bolpur residence. The CBI team entered his residence at around 10 AM with the CRPF being deployed outside. Mondal has earlier been questioned twice by the central agency as part of its investigation.

As per sources, the TMC leader will likely be brought to Kolkata and then will be taken for a medical checkup, adding that he will be taken to the central operated hospital for the checkup, instead of the State-run SSKM Hospital, where he rushed earlier in order to skip the 10th summon.  

On September 21, 2020, the CBI arrested Satish Kumar, a former BSF commandant over the illegal cattle trade along the Bangladesh border. Mondal's name had emerged while the investigation was underway.