Assets of Anubrata Mandal's daughter now under CBI, ED scanner

Kolkata, June 7 (IANS) The assets owned by Sukanya Mandal, the daughter of Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mandal, has now come under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), who are conducting parallel probes in the cattle and coal smuggling cases in West Bengal.

Highly placed CBI sources said that recently their officers sought the details of books of accounts, income tax returns, property and assets details held by Anubrata Mandal and his family members. Mandal, the Trinamool Congress Birbhum district president, submitted the same through his counsels.

A scrutiny of the assets and property details of Sukanya Mandal revealed that since 2014 there were high- value property and assets purchased by her.

The two central probe agencies, especially those from the ED are currently trying to track the money trail behind these high value transactions.

At the same time, the sleuths of the two central agencies are also examining the asset details held by Mandal's close associates, including his personal bodyguard and driver. The books of accounts of a Birbhum-based non- government organisation (NGO) are also under the scanner.

It is learnt that the red beacon- fitted personal vehicle that Mandal used before was registered in the name of this particular Birbhum-based NGO. However, following a thrashing from the Calcutta High Court and also objections from his own party high- command Mandal removed that red beacon.

The conversation between Mandal and some current and erstwhile district police officials in Birbhum are also being examined by the CBI sleuths.

Currently, Mandal is being examined by the central agency sleuths in two different cases. On one hand, the CBI officials based out of the agency's Nizam Palace office in central Kolkata, along with their counterparts in the ED, are probing him in the cattle and coal smuggling cases. On the other hand, the CBI based out of the agency's office at central government office (CGO) Complex at Salt Lake in the northern outskirts of Kolkata have questioned Mandal in connection with the post-poll violence case in the state.