New Delhi: In an interesting turnaround, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has mentioned the Border Security Force (BSF) in the supplementary charge sheet filed against TMC (Trinamool Congress) leader Anubrata Mondal and his daughter Sukanya in a money laundering case. The case pertains to alleged cattle smuggling through the Indo-Bangladesh border.
The chargesheet mentioned that several high-ranking BSF officials colluded with cow smugglers by keeping the border open from 11 pm to 3 am so that the cattle could be smuggled easily. BSF officials were in direct contact with Abdul Latif, Enamul Haque and other cattle smugglers, the chargesheet mentioned.
The anti-money laundering agency filed the charge sheet before Special Judge Raghubir Singh of Rouse Avenue Court. The matter has been listed for May 8 for further proceedings. The judge also directed ED's special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana to supply a copy of the charge sheet to Anubrata Mondal as well as the court. His daughter Sukanya Mondal's lawyer also appeared. Both Anubrata and Sukanya Mondal are lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody. Earlier on Sunday, the court had sent Sukanya Mondal to Tihar Jail in judicial custody for 12 days.
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During the investigation, Sukanya asked the court for permission to talk to her jailed father and friend, then the court said that if the officials of the correctional home do not have any problem, then she can talk. Sukanya was arrested by the ED on April 26 during interrogation in the cattle smuggling case. After this, on April 27, he was produced in the Rouse Avenue Court, after which the court sent him to ED custody for three days, which ended on Sunday.
It is noteworthy that Mondal had given an application in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court in March seeking his transfer to Asansol Correctional Home (West Bengal). In that case also, the hearing is going on in the court. Mondal is the president of Trinamool Congress's Birbhum district unit in West Bengal.