Cattle scam: Enforcement Directorate starts process to shift all files related to Anubrata Mondal to Delhi

Kolkata : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday initiated the process of shifting all files related to the alleged association of Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal with the multi-crore cattle smuggling case in West Bengal from Asansol to Delhi,

The initiative follows an order of the special CBI court in Asansol in West Burdwan district dated September 6, directing all matters related to Mondal in this case to be heard at the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi henceforth.

On Wednesday afternoon, two ED officials, escorted by two personnel of the central armed forces, reached the special court in Asansol, collected all the related files, packed them in two briefcases and left the court premises.

The court had ordered that all the related files should be shifted to Rouse Avenue Court on September 11. However, ED made a plea to the court seeking some more time because of the recently-concluded G20 Summit in Delhi.

Accordingly, the court had extended the deadline till September 19, and to comply with that order, the ED officials collected all the documents from the special CBI court in Asansol on Wednesday.

Mondal is presently in judicial custody at Delhi's Tihar Jail. Also housed there are his daughter Sukanya Mondal, his personal chartered accountant Manish Kothari, and his bodyguard Sehgal Hossain, all of whom are accused as co-conspirators and beneficiaries in the multi-crore cattle smuggling case.