Cattle smuggling scam: TMC's Anubrata Mondal sent to 14-day jail custody

A special CBI court on Wednesday remanded Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal to 14 days in judicial custody.

Mondal was arrested by the CBI on August 11 in connection with its probe into the alleged cattle smuggling to Bangladesh.

Rejecting the bail plea of Mondal, Asansol special CBI court judge Rajesh Chakraborty remanded him to judicial custody till September 7. He will be produced before the court again on that day.

The court also allowed the agency's prayer for questioning Mondal in the correctional home.

The TMC leader's lawyer prayed for his bail, claiming that there is no connection between him and the alleged smuggling of cattle through Birbhum district.

It was also stated by his lawyer that Mondal is 65 years old and suffers from various ailments.

The CBI counsel, opposing the bail plea of Mondal, sought his judicial remand, claiming that he is an influential person and may try to influence witnesses in the case.

The TMC Birbhum district president was in CBI custody since his arrest from his Bolpur residence.

He was arrested after he did not appear before the agency's officers at its Nizam Palace office in Kolkata on August 10 for questioning in connection with the cattle smuggling case.

Mondal had not appeared before the CBI on nine out of 10 occasions that he was asked to come for questioning.

The TMC leader was taken to Asansol correctional home from the court amid huge police presence.