KOLKATA: The Birbhum Police have launched a massive, multi-team manhunt for local businessman Tulu Mondal following extensive raids on his multiple luxury residences and offices.
The Birbhum Police in West Bengal have started issuing a lookout notice for Mohammad Nazibullah, alias Tulu Mondal, who is widely believed to be close to the Trinamool Congress.
Authorities suspect he fled the country with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and local TMC leader Abdul Barik Biswas before the Assembly election results were announced.
Customs authorities had previously arrested Biswas in 2014 for gold smuggling. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached his properties worth Rs20 crore in May 2015.
According to ED and Customs reports, Biswas funded his gold-smuggling operations from Bangladesh to India using proceeds from cross-border cattle smuggling. Biswas operated as a close associate of Enamul Haque, the alleged kingpin of the transnational cattle-smuggling racket, who was also previously arrested by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On Friday, after an intensive 15-hour search operation, police sealed Mondal's residence in Suri. The luxurious house features amenities including a gym, spa, swimming pool and party lounge.
After the search operation, the domestic staff were dismissed and Mondal's pet dog, Lily, was removed from the premises. Police pickets have been posted at all his residences and offices.
Led by DSP (DEB) Surajit Mondal, DSP (Sadar) Sourav Bhattacharya and Suri Police Station Inspector-in-Charge Shailendra Upadhyay, the raid resulted in the seizure of Rs8 lakh in cash and 150g of gold ornaments. Law enforcement officials also carried out simultaneous raids at Mondal's ancestral home in Sonsthol, his petrol stations and his truck parking bay in Mohammad Bazar.
The Birbhum Police have launched a massive, multi-team manhunt for local businessman Tulu Mondal following extensive raids on his multiple luxury residences and offices. While Mondal managed to evade arrest and remains at large, police teams have seized a vast cache of documents during the overnight search operations.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari detailed a list of assets belonging to Mondal that are currently being targeted by law enforcement. According to Adhikari, authorities have already frozen Rs93 crore across several bank accounts and seized 242 high-end vehicles from his residences. Two of these premium cars were reportedly recovered from the garage of Mondal's Subhaspally residence.
Furthermore, police have initiated the process of attaching 21 immovable properties. The list of assets slated for seizure includes seven houses, multiple farmhouses, parking bays, two petrol stations, two stone crushers and approximately 300 bighas of land.
Mondal recently drew intense public and regulatory scrutiny following the lavish wedding of his daughter, Salma, earlier this year. The event, which reportedly cost Rs150 crore, became the talk of the state after attracting top Bollywood and Tollywood actors, actresses, models, prominent singers and political figures.
The scale of the wedding was unprecedented for the region. International décor agencies were flown in to construct a massive venue modelled after the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur. In a display of opulence, the bridegroom arrived on a chariot flanked by private security personnel dressed in the attire of ancient Greek soldiers. The extravaganza effectively brought the locality to a standstill, as all major roads in Mohammad Bazar were closed to the public for two days. Access was strictly restricted to invited guests wearing specially designed security wristbands.
Police officials have stated that the raids are ongoing, and further asset attachments are expected as the investigation into Mondal's financial dealings deepens.
According to police, Tulu Mondal fled to Dubai with his family and continues to run his Birbhum empire remotely. Local residents recently intercepted a vehicle transporting sacks of documents from a local farmhouse. Upon questioning, the driver revealed that Mondal's manager had instructed him to hide the papers, which included sand and stone transportation challans and bills.
Meanwhile, Mondal's brother-in-law, Minar Mondal, was arrested following a raid at his residence in Deucha village in Birbhum, where police seized more than Rs50 crore in cash and gold. The court remanded him to eight days of police custody.
Speaking to the media, Birbhum Superintendent of Police Vidit Raj Bhundesh said that during the search operations, Minar Mondal admitted that the seized wealth belonged to Tulu Mondal and had been collected through various syndicate operations.
In a major operation, the Birbhum Police seized 15kg of 24-carat gold bars and biscuits manufactured in Switzerland and Dubai during a recent raid. - The Statesman/ANN
