A local court in Delhi on Friday extended the custody of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) leader Anubrata Mondal under the Enforcement Directorate for 11 days in the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam case.
Special Judge Raghubir Singh at the Rouse Avenue Courts agreed to ED’s request after Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana, appearing for the national agency, contended that custodial interrogation of the AITC leader was necessary to confront him with several accused and witnesses in the case.
Advocate Mudit Jain, representing Mondal, submitted that the probe conducted so far was a closed door investigation without any sight visit, which made them lazy and unenterprising.
Yesterday, Special Judge Rakesh Kumar had remanded Mondal to ED custody, after a midnight hearing.
The AITC leader was booked for alleged smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh by bribing the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel.
As per reports, he was taken to Delhi from West Bengal by air on Tuesday and produced before a Delhi court.
Earlier on March 4, the Single-Judge Bench of Justice Bibek Chaudhuri at the Calcutta High Court had refused to prevent the probe agency from producing him before a Delhi court.
The prosecution had contended that prime accused Md Enamul Haque and his associates had conspired with BSF personnel and Custom officials for illegall smuggle of cattle to Bangladesh.
CBI had alleged that Haque had obtained illegal favours from Mondal for smooth movement of cattle through the districts of Birbhum and Murshidabad.
The national agency further alleged that Mondal used his influence to facilitate the crime and got kickbacks for the same.
Mondal was arrested on August 11, 2022 for his alleged involvement in the case.