There was more trouble for Trinamool Congress and its strongman and national executive member, Anubrata Mondal. The Enforcement Directorate on Friday formally arrested Mondal a blue-eyed boy of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in multi-crore cow smuggling case.
Mondal who was already in judicial custody after the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested him three months ago was on Thursday “shown arrested” by the ED after a team of three senior officials flew down from Delhi to Asansol --- where he is presently lodged --- and interrogated him for more than five hours.
Though it was not clear whether his further interrogation would be
conducted in Asansol or Delhi as the main case being dealt with by the ED falls in the jurisdiction of Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court, sources said the Agency would petition the court for his production in Delhi.
“There are chances that the ED may seek an order from Rouse Avenue court for taking Mondal to Tihar Jail … in that case they will have to take a transit remand from Asansol court,” a central government’s paneled advocate said in Kolkata, adding, Mondal had always the option of filing an appeal with the High Court should the Rouse Avenue court order him to be taken to Tihar.
“If transported to Delhi life will be difficult for him because he will not only be away from his own men but also far from Mamata Banerjee who has accorded moral support to him … and that may help ED not only to extract information on the source of his vast ill-gotten wealth worth several thousand crore but also on whether a bigger or smaller part of that wealth have been routed to his higher leaders in Kolkata,” said BJP leaders in Kolkata.
The ED officials arrested Mondal a senior TMC leader who has allegedly introduced the “Mondal model” --- of winning elections with the help of bullets and bombs --- in Bengal was arrested for not cooperating in interrogation.