CBI summons Trinamool leader in cattle smuggling case

New Delhi, April 2 Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal on Saturday was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the fifth time, in connection with a cattle smuggling case.

Mondal will have to appear before the agency on April 6 by 11 a.m.

He is currently the party's district president of Birbhum area.

Mondal had approached Calcutta High Court seeking protection from arrest in the case. The High Court has now refused to grant him protection.

After the Calcutta High Court order, the agency again summoned him to join the probe.

In September 2020, the CBI lodged an FIR against Mohd Enamul Haque, the kingpin of the racket, BSF Commandant Satish Kumar and others regarding smuggling of cattle through the India Bangladesh Border.

In November 2020, Enamul was placed under arrest by the CBI. He was accused of bribing BSF officials to keep his illegal cattle smuggling business running through India Bangladesh border.

The CBI chargesheeted Haque accusing him as the kingpin in cross-border smuggling racket.

The CBI had learnt in its investigation that Haque had allegedly been running a hawala racket of Rs 1,000 crore. He was paying fat bribe to BSF officials, one of the officials was also arrested by the federal probe agency.

Trinamool Congress leader Vinay Mishra and his brother Vikas Mishra is also involved in the matter. In March 2021, the Enforcement Directorate had arrested Vikas, and attached Vinay's property.

It had been alleged that they had been receiving money from Enamul Haque through the Hawala channel.