Kolkata: Ducking CBI’s summons to appear for questioning in relation to the cattle smuggling case on Monday, Trinamool Congress district Birbhum district president Anubrata Mandal has reached Kolkata for a medical check-up at the state-run SSKM Medical College & Hospital.
However, this morning, the CBI officials sent an email communique to Mandal’s counsel insisting that the party strongman appear at the agency’s Nizam Palace office immediately after his medical check-up.
“On Sunday afternoon we received mail for Mandal’s counsel where he sought 15 days of time for his client to appear for questioning. Meanwhile, we learnt that he has come to Kolkata for a medical check-up. We consulted our senior officials in New Delhi and finally sent an email communique asking him to appear for questioning from SSKM,” a CBI official said.
He said that some crucial clues about the cattle smuggling racket have been received after questioning Anubrata Mandal’s bodyguard, Sehgal Hossain, who is currently in judicial custody and being constantly questioned by CBI sleuths.
CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials have got access to documents of properties and assets worth several crores of rupees, which the agency sleuths believe to have direct connection with the cattle smuggling sleuth.
From Mandal’s close associate, Kerim Khan, the CBI has received crucial information about the route of cattle-smuggling via Birbhum to the bordering districts of Malda and Murshidabad, where the cattle were smuggled to neighbouring Bangladesh.
To recall, Satish Kumar, a commandant of Border Security Force (BSF) is already in the central agency custody for his involvement in the cattle smuggling scam. It has been alleged that a part of the smuggled cattle seized by BSF was again routed back for smuggling and Kumar was a brain in this embezzlement.
(IANS)