Bengal cattle smuggling case: Anubrata Mondal's judicial custody extended 14 more days

Kolkata, Sep 7 A special CBI court here on Wednesday extended, by an another 14 days, the judicial custody of Trinamool Congress strongman and the party's Birbhum district president, Anubrata Mondal, who was arrested in a cattle smuggling scam.

On Wednesday, Mondal's counsel, Faruq Rezzak moved a bail plea on health grounds. At the same time, he argued that the central agency till date has not been able to furnish any concrete proof that Mondal was directly associated with the cattle smuggling scam. So, considering these aspects as well as health conditions of his client. the bail prayer might be approved, Rezzak argued.

Noting that Mondal's name was not in the first two supplementary charge sheets in the matter, counsel also said that although there are charges that sections of the Customs Department and the Border Security Force (BSF0 were involved in the cattle smuggling scam, the central agencies so far have arrested only BSF commandant Satish Kumar.

In counter argument, CBI counsel Kalicharan Mishra argued that the entire cattle smuggling process was a major conspiracy, since Mondal had direct links with Enamul Haque, the kingpin of cattle smuggling.

Counsel said that the crime was not movement of cattle from one state to another, but the illegal smuggling of cattle across the international borders.

Mishra also argued that Mondal, a politically influential person, had not cooperated with the central agency at all in the investigation process. He also said that if granted bail, there is every possibility of him tampering with the evidence and influencing the witnesses.

The CBI counsel also submitted a set of documents recovered by the investigation agency sleuths, which included some bank account details. after hearing both sides, the judge sent Mondal to judicial custody for another 14 days.