Kolkata: Enforcement Directorate (ED) has finally got the court approval to take Sehgal Hossian, bodyguard of Trinamool Congress strongman, Anubrata Mondal, to New Delhi for questioning in multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal.
ED sources here said that a special court of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi approved the agency’s prayer on this count on Monday. Sehgal Hosaain is currently under judicial custody at the Asansol Special Correctional Home in West Burdwan district.
ED sources said that after failing twice to get the court approval for the production warrant to take Hossain to New Delhi, finally the Central agency has succeeded on this count. First the ED sleuths made an appeal for Hossain’s production warrant at a special court in Asansol on this count.
Thereafter, the Central agency sleuths approached the Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh on this count. But there too, the ED’s application was rejected and Justice Ghosh observed that without a proper and valid production document the Central agency could not be allowed to take Hossain to New Delhi and only the PMLA court there can issue that production warrant.
Then on October 15, the Central agency approached the special court of PMLA at Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi. After the hearing in the matter, finally the court on Monday approved ED’s plea to take Hossian to New Delhi and question him at the Central agency’s headquarters there.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is conducting a parallel probe in the cattle smuggling scam, has mentioned in its fresh charge-sheet the names of three companies.
Anant Tradecom Private Limited, Hoque Mercantile Private Limited and Hoque Industries Private Limited were basically shell companies meant for the diversion of cattle smuggling proceeds by the kingpin, Enamul Hoque.
In the charge-sheet, the CBI for the first time mentioned Mondal as the direct beneficiary of the scam.
Mondal is also currently under judicial custody at the same correctional home as Hossain in Asansol.
(IANS)
