Cattle smuggling case: TMC ‘strongman’ Anubrata Mondal’s daughter Sukanya FINALLY reaches ED office for questioning

NEW DELHI: TMC ‘strongman’ Anubrata Mondal’s Sukanya on Wednesday reached the Enforcement Directorate headquarters in the national capital to face questioning in connection with the multi-crore West Bengal cattle smuggling scam.

Delhi | Sukanya Mondal, daughter of TMC leader Anubrata Mondal, reaches Enforcement Directorate headquarters to face questioning in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/QSS7mJqacI

— ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2022

Sukanya Mondal had earlier failed to depose before the central agency for questioning in the case. Responding to the previous summons, she had earlier informed the probe agency that she won’t be able to appear before it citing personal reasons, and also sought some more time.

According to the ED sources, Sukanya Mondal is likely to be questioned on the companies wherein she is the director as well as the rice mills in which she is the "partner". The two companies -- ANM Agrochem Private Limited and Neer Developer Private Limited -- are already under the scanner of both ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is also conducting a parallel probe into the cattle smuggling scam.

In both firms, Sukanya Mondal is one of the two directors and the central agency sleuths believe that these two corporate entities are basically shell companies meant for channelising the crime proceeds. Recently, the CBI submitted a charge sheet where it said that Sukanya Mondal`s annual income increased from Rs 3.10 lakhs in the 2013-14 financial year to Rs 1.45 crore in 2020-21.

Apart from that she also has a fixed deposit worth Rs 3 crore. The ED sources further said that their officers also want to question Sukanya Mondal on certain properties which were registered under her name and were purchased at prices much lower than the prevailing market rates only to be sold off later at much higher prices.

Her father Anubrata Mondal, who has also been arrested in connection with the case, continues to be in jail at the moment. He is also believed to be a close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has extended full support to him and termed the ED action as “political vendetta’’ against the TMC leaders.