Kolkata: The transactions of as many as 200 bank accounts belonging to Birbhum-based rice-mill, its owner Robin Tibrewal, and some of its employees are currently under the scanner of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the alleged multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal.
Sources said that after initial investigations, the central agency sleuths have traced some transactions from these accounts with the companies owned by Enamul Haque, the kingpin of the alleged cattle scam in the state.
So far the CBI sleuths, sources said, have traced such transactions worth over Rs 50 crore from these bank accounts. All these transactions had taken place during the six-year period between 2016 and 2022 and the central agency sleuths say that more such transactions involving bigger amounts might be revealed in due course of examinations of these bank accounts.
The CBI sleuths have tracked some fictitious inward remittances to the accounts of Tibrewal from Haque Industries Limited, substantial portions of which were debited and withdrawn from these accounts just after they were deposited. The nature of such transactions has prompted the CBI to believe that proceeds of the alleged cattle smuggling have been diverted through such transactions involving the bank accounts of Tibrewal and Haque.
Already the CBI has questioned Tibrewal twice in this connection at the agency’s Nizam Palace office in South Kolkata. Last time, he was questioned on May 1.
Currently, Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal, his daughter Sukanya Mondal, bodyguard Sehgal Hossain and chartered accountant Manish Kothari are in judicial custody at Tihar jail in New Delhi for their alleged involvement in the cattle smuggling scam.
While the Enforcement Department (ED), which is conducting a parallel probe into the alleged scam, is trying to extract information from Anubrata Mondal and his daughter in Delhi, the CBI has expedited its actions here by questioning other suspects in the matter.
(IANS)
