Two Birbhum-based businessmen on Friday accused arrested Trinamul Congress leader Anubrata Mondal of taking Rs 5 crore and an expensive car from them on a false promise that the duo would be awarded a government project in Suri.

The CBI on Friday raided Bholey-Bom rice mill in Bolpur — owned by Mondal’s daughter Sukanya and wife Chobi, who had died in 2020.

At the mill, the investigators found five cars, three of which were owned by different people, including a Suri-based businessman Prabir Mondal.

It was learnt that Prabir is a partner of an agency, Loknath Travels, along with Arup Ratan Bhattacharya.“The car is registered in my name as I was forced to buy it spending Rs 46 lakh for Anubrata Mondal, who demanded it to grant a government work of dredging the Mayurakshi river-bed near Tilpara barrage in 2018. I had urged him to return the car as the project had not been granted to our agency. But he (Anubrata) threatened to trap me in a narcotics case…. I did not dare to communicate with him later,” Prabir told reporters.

Bhattacharya said apart from the expensive car, he had to give Rs 5.63 crore to Anubrata and his bodyguard Saigal Hossain. Both Anubrata and Hossain were arrested by the CBI in connection with alleged cattle smuggling.

“As nothing happens in Birbhum without a nod from him (Anubrata), we had to meet him in 2018 to get the work of dredging the Mayurakshi river. I had to pay Rs 5.63 crore to Anubrata in phases in return of an assurance that he would help us get the work. Anubrata had directly taken Rs 1.5 crore from me and the rest was taken by Saigal,” said Bhattacharya.

CBI sources said they had taken the statements of Bhattacharya and Prabir after conducting the raid on the rice mill. One of the two other expensive cars found at the mill is owned by a charitable trust by Malay Pit, a close aide to Anubrata.

The other care was purchased in the name of the Trinamul leader’s personal assistant Arko Dutta.The ownership of the two other cars was not revealed.“Although he (Anubrata) took money from us, the work was given to few people involved in sand smuggling,” said Bhattacharya.

Commenting on the fresh charges against Anubrata, former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said: “The expensive cars and the allegation by the businessmen proved how the Birbhum district ha been looted by the Trinamul leader and his associates. More people will now turn up with such allegations.”CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said: “Mamata Banerjee had also tried to safeguard Anurbata Mondal calling him a ‘good boy’. The allegation of the businessmen revealed how he had looted people by threatening them.”

The Bholey Bom rice mill is known as a property of Anubrata’s family among local people and the leader and his daughter Sukanya used to visit the place regularly.A source said the central agency had conducted the raid as multiple properties had been bought by the Mondal family in the name of the rice mill. CBI sleuths had to wait for around half an hour as security guards had not initially allowed them to enter the rice mill. The door was opened and the CBI raided the rice mill for over six hours.

“The rice mill was also used as an address of two companies where Sukanya is one of the directors. At least seven properties were purchased within a span of four years since 2014…,” said a source.