A team of CBI sleuths is likely to visit Asansol jail on Tuesday to question arrested Trinamul Congress leader Anubrata Mondal in connection with their ongoing investigation into the alleged cattle smuggling scam, an officer said.
A four-member team of CBI reached Asansol from Calcutta on Monday night.
"Our officers will be visiting the jail where Mondal is lodged. We hope to get new information from him," the officer told PTI.
The CBI has arrested the TMC Birbhum district president for not cooperating with the central agency in its probe.
Following his arrest, the agency has conducted back-to-back search operations at several places in Birbhum district and seized various documents.
Earlier, the special court of the CBI in Asansol on August 24 sent Mondal to 14 days in judicial custody after rejecting the bail petition moved by his lawyers.
The court granted permission to the CBI for Mondal’s further questioning in jail.
The CBI arrested Mondal on August 11 in connection with its probe into the alleged smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh. The court initially granted him 10 days in CBI custody but on August 21 extended it by four days based on the CBI’s plea of remand for further interrogation.
Mondal's lawyer Anirban Guha Thakurta had earlier prayed for bail, claiming there was no connection between his client and the alleged cattle smuggling. He said the CBI’s investigation against him were “motivated”. They told the court Mondal was aged 65, unwell and needed treatment at home.
CBI counsel Kalicharan Mishra opposed the bail plea and sought Mondal’s judicial remand, claiming that he was influential and would try to intimidate and influence witnesses in the case.
After hearing both, Judge Rajesh Chakraborty sent Mondal in judicial custody.
However, before the hearing started, Mondal urged Chakraborty with folded hands to order a CBI probe into the threat letter against the judge of the special CBI court.
“I humbly request you (judge) to order a CBI investigation into the threat letter to you,” a source present in the courtroom quoted Mondal as having said.
Mondal was referring to a letter purportedly threatening to implicate judge Chakraborty's family members in a drugs case if Mondal was not released on bail.
However, the judge denied any CBI probe and said the threat letter had no link with the ongoing case.
The letter was sent to the officer-in-charge of the court on August 22. Chakraborty wrote to the registrar of Calcutta High Court and district judge of West Burdwan on Monday requesting them to take note of it.
Earlier in Calcutta, Mondal said chief minister Mamata Banerjee had done a lot for him.
