Rs 12.84 lakh, 800g gold seized; TMC leader's ex-bodyguard held in case linked to Bengal stone trader Tulu Mondal

Saigal Hossain, a former bodyguard of Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal, was arrested in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Sunday in connection with an alleged document forgery case involving absconding quarry trader Tulu Mondal, police said. Police seized Rs 12.84 lakh in cash, around 800 grams of gold, more than 150 land deeds, a laptop and foreign currencies during the search, according to PTI.

Hossain was arrested after a special investigation team of Birbhum district police searched his flat in Bolpur for nearly 16 hours. A Siuri court remanded Hossain to seven days in police custody after he was produced before it on Sunday.

Police are investigating alleged manipulation and forgery of demand-cum-collection receipts (DCRs) used in the stone quarry business linked to Tulu Mondal. DCRs are receipts issued to truck owners after payment of government taxes for transporting stone from quarries.


Investigators reportedly found Hossain's links to the case while examining diaries and other documents seized from associates of Tulu Mondal, police sources told PTI.

Hossain, however, told the court that he had been framed as part of a conspiracy. He also played down the recovery of Pakistani and Arab currencies, saying the notes were not substantial and could have come into his possession during currency exchanges.

Also read: Rs 21.5 crore worth gold, Rs 28.5 crore cash seized from bus driver's house in West Bengal

Bengal police widen probe after Rs 50 crore recovery

The latest arrest comes amid an intensified police investigation into the assets allegedly accumulated by Tulu Mondal, a prominent quarry trader who has remained untraced.

Police had earlier recovered Rs 28.5 crore in cash and around 15 kg of gold from the residence of Minar Mondal, a relative of Tulu Mondal, on July 29. The combined value of the cash and gold was estimated at around Rs 50 crore.

Authorities subsequently expanded searches to properties of people allegedly linked to Tulu Mondal. Police also searched the residence of Tulu's brother-in-law Mithu Sheikh in Bolpur.

The investigation is focused on allegations that Tulu Mondal evaded government revenue from his stone quarry operations and concealed assets through relatives and associates.

Land department official also arrested

The latest developments follow the arrest on Saturday of Prabir Das, a head assistant at the Sub-Divisional Land and Land Reforms Office in Siuri, in the same investigation.

Police searched Das's residence in Kalpatarupalli for nearly six hours and recovered five mobile phones, according to government prosecutor Bibhas Chattopadhyay. Das was subsequently remanded to six days in police custody.

The prosecutor told the court that Das was responsible for assigning government employees to DCR-checking gates in the quarry-mining belt.

Das's wife, Sathi Das, denied that her husband had any links with Tulu Mondal and said the police recovered Rs 81,000 in cash and some land-related documents from their home.

Also read: 15 kg gold, Rs 28.5 crore cash haul in West Bengal leads to arrest of stone trader aide Minar Mondal

Probe into alleged Rs 150 crore asset network

The investigation has also uncovered a much wider network of properties and assets allegedly linked to Tulu Mondal. Authorities have said assets worth more than Rs 150 crore have been identified or seized, including cash, gold, vehicles and immovable property.

Police have also frozen bank accounts containing around Rs 93 crore allegedly linked to Tulu Mondal, while proceedings have been initiated in connection with 21 properties spread over nearly 300 bighas of land.

The properties allegedly include stone quarries, stone crushers, petrol pumps, a farmhouse and residential buildings. Authorities have also seized 242 vehicles, including dumpers and trucks, according to details released during the investigation.

Investigators have recovered computers, pen drives, currency-counting machines and a large number of suspected forged DCR slips, transport challans and cheque books.

Minar Mondal has been arrested, while several others have been detained for questioning. The CID, Special Task Force and central agencies are also examining whether proceeds from alleged illegal quarrying were routed or laundered outside the country.

Tulu Mondal, also known as Md Nazibuddin Mondal, has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking quashing of the FIR against him. He has been accused of causing substantial losses to the government exchequer through alleged use of forged documents in stone quarry operations.

The police investigation is continuing to trace Tulu Mondal and identify the ownership and source of the assets allegedly accumulated through the quarry business, PTI reported.