ED Arrests Anubrata Mondal's Daughter Sukanya On Money Laundering Charges

The ED had summoned Sukanya Mondal to its headquarters here several times to question her in connection with the cattle smuggling scam, but she avoided the summons.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Sukanya Mondal, the daughter of Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal in Delhi in connection with the cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal. The ED had summoned Sukanya to its headquarters here several times to question her in connection with the scam, but she avoided the summons. Her father Anubrata Mondal is currently in judicial custody in connection with the same scam. Sukanya was arrested by the ED eight months after her father was arrested in August last year. The ED wanted to question her about the sources of funds in the companies and rice mills in West Bengal`s Birbhum district where she had been having directorship or partnership. Probe revealed that she is the director of two companies, Neer Developer Pvt Ltd and ANM Agrochem Foods Pvt Ltd. The companies have their offices at the same address where Bholebam Rice Mill, which is also owned by her, is located in Birbhum`s Bolpur town. Apart from that, she had been having partnerships in a number of rice mills in Birbhum district.

Earlier, she was questioned by the ED but she denied having any knowledge or details about the companies, rice mills or other properties in her name. She also maintained that their personal chartered accountant Manish Kothari was aware of all the details. Even Kothari was also arrested by the ED and is currently in judicial custody.

TMC Maintains Safe Stand On Sukanya's Arrest

As the news of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arresting Sukanya Monda in Delhi reached Kolkata on Wednesday evening, the state`s ruling party took a safe stand in the matter.

Trinamool spokesman Kunal Ghosh said that he would refrain from making any comment in the matter since that party`s stand on such issues is very clear that it will not stand behind anyone who is involved in corruption. "But a question automatically arises as to whether the central agency could have continued its investigation without taking Sukanya Mondal into custody. She lost her mother a few months back, her father is in judicial custody. So, was such an extreme step necessary? Was this step taken after instruction from a political force," Ghosh asked.

BJP Says Sukanya's Arrest Was Inevitable

Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP President and Lok Sabha MP Sukanta Majumdar said that the arrest was inevitable considering that she had been repeatedly avoiding the summons of the central agency. "Since the beginning, she had been resorting to non-cooperation in the investigation process. So, the inevitable has happened," he said.

Legal brains in the state feel that Sukanya`s denial of knowledge about the huge funds lying in the companies where she was a director cannot be used to prove her innocence. "She is an adult. So she cannot claim ignorance in such matters, especially being the director of companies that are under scanner," said senior counsel of the Calcutta High Court, Kaushik Gupta.