After CBI, ED now NIA wants to grill Anubrata

Anubrata Mondal (Photo:IANS)


After investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigations and the Enforcement Directorate in the coal and cattle smuggling cases, another central investigating agency, National Investigation Agency (NIA) is now set to interrogate Anubrata Mondal and his bodyguard Sehgal Hussein in connection with the explosives seizure case in Tihar Jail in Delhi. At present, both Anubrata Mondal and Hussein are lodged in Tihar jail after being arrested by the ED in connection with the cross border cattle smuggling case.

Birbhum Police has seized detonators and gelatin sticks from Mohammad Bazar area. Later, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case from Birbhum Police. The NIA has arrested a Trinamul Congress leader from Mohammad Bazar after seizure of huge quantities of explosives, which are primarily meant for mining purpose in the country from his office and godown after interrogating his manager.

After interrogating the accused, NIA has got the names of Anubrata Mondal and his bodyguard in the explosives case. Already NIA has submitted a 12,000 page charge sheet in the court and two other supplementary charge sheets. In the charge sheet the names of Anubrata Mondal and Sehgal Hussein are also mentioned in several pages. NIA suspect that the explosives have been stocked with active support from Mondal after grilling the main accused.

The NIA has appealed in Bankshal Court to interrogate Mondal and his bodyguard Hussein in Tihar jail in Delhi and the court has given its consent. Manoj Kumar Ghosh and Islam Choudhury, both TMC leaders have been arrested by NIA so far in this case from Nalhati. Manoj Kumar Ghosh, contested the gram panchayat polls and has won from the number 21 Banor panchayat seat in Birbhum this year.