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Cattle smuggling scam: CBI freezes FDs worth ₹16.9 crore of arrested TMC leader
Simultaneously, the Calcutta high court summoned Mondal’s daughter Sukanya on Thursday in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday froze fixed deposits worth ₹16.97 crore linked to Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal, who was arrested by the federal agency on August 11 in connection with the multi-crore West Bengal cattle smuggling scam.
Simultaneously, the Calcutta high court summoned Mondal’s daughter on Thursday after a petition was filed that she was recruited as an assistant teacher in a state-run primary school without qualifying the Teacher Eligibility Test.
“Fixed deposits worth ₹16.97 crore in the name of Mondal and his close associates in three banks have been frozen. It is suspected that he passed on proceeds from the cattle smuggling to his close associates and relatives, who then deposited the money in banks in their own accounts. They were later transferred to Mondal in the form of FDs,” said a CBI official.
On Wednesday, a CBI team went to question Mondal’s daughter in connection with the scam after properties and firms allegedly registered in her name surfaced. She, however, refused to cooperate with the agency. CBI officials also questioned Mondal’s accountant during the day.
“I have heard that Mondal has a few businesses. If he has kept some fixed deposits in the bank, it is already open to the Income Tax department. I don’t know what CBI officials are claiming before the media,” TMC state spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya said.
Also Read:CBI quizzes Anubrata Mondal in cattle smuggling case
Meanwhile, a petitioner alleged before the single bench of justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of Calcutta HC that Sukanya Mondal, the TMC heavyweight’s daughter, never attended the school in which she was working. Instead, the attendance registers of teachers were sent to her home every day so that she could mark herself present. The school is located a stone’s throw from Mondal’s house in Birbhum.
“Sukanya Mondal never qualified in the TET examination. She never even attended the primary school after being recruited as an assistant teacher. We have named five more persons, mostly relatives and family members of Anubrata Mondal, who got teachers’ jobs without passing TET,” said Firdaus Shamim, Calcutta high court lawyer.
Apart from Sukanya, the list includes the name of Sumit Mondo, Anubrata’s brother, Satyaki Mondo, Anubrata’s nephew and Arko Dutta, Anubrata’s personal assistant.
In May this year, the same bench removed Anikta Adhikary, daughter of West Bengal’s junior education minister Paresh Adhikary, from a school teacher’s job over allegations that she was recruited as an assistant teacher even though her name was not in the merit list and she never appeared in the interview.
State education minister Bratya Basu refused to comment saying that he was not aware of the issue.
“That is not unusual. It would have been unusual had she been recruited after qualifying for an exam and would have been working every day to draw a salary,” said Samik Bhattacharya, BJP spokesperson.
“The high court bench has directed all six persons, including Sukanya Mondol, to appear before the court on Thursday at 3 pm with their TET certificates. The court has directed that the order be communicated to the superintendent of police of Birbhum district,” said Shamim.
Former education minister Partha Chatterjee has already been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the multi-crore teacher recruitment scam in government schools. The CBI is probing into the scam upon orders from the Calcutta HC.
