Cattle scam: CBI traces 346 fake bank accounts used to divert crime proceeds

Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal has traced as many as 346 fake bank accounts opened in the name of third parties with a district cooperative bank in Birbhum for the purpose of diversion of the scam proceeds to different channels.

Sources said that during the course of investigation, it has also been revealed that these accounts were opened in the names of individuals coming from marginalised families in the districts whose identity proofs like Aadhaar card were collected assuring them of getting enrolled for different welfare schemes of the state government.

The CBI officers personally went to the residences of these individuals in whose names these accounts were opened and all of them informed the central agency that they had no knowledge of the existence of such bank accounts in their names.

These 346 accounts were detected by the CBI in three phases in the last few months. The CBI detected 177 such accounts in the first phase, followed by 54 in the second phase and 115 accounts in the third phase.

The manager of the district cooperative bank where such accounts were held was also questioned by the CBI, who admitted that he was forced to allow opening of such accounts following instructions from the higher authorities.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress strongman and the party's Birbhum district President, Anubrata Mondal, will be presented before a special CBI court in Asansol on Friday, where the central agency's counsel is expected to present the details in this matter to the court.

Mondal is in custody as the prime accused in the cattle smuggling scam.

On Thursday, a CBI team went to the Asansol Special Correctional Home where Mondal is housed and questioned him in the matter. However, sources said that as usual, the accused did not cooperate with the agency and denied having any knowledge of such bank accounts.