West Bengal cow smuggling scam (2022)

The illegal cattle smuggling racket was active primarily in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Kerala, with the main objective of smuggling thousands of cattle to Bangladesh through the state's border. The case first gained attention when JD Mathew, a BSF commander in Bengal, was arrested from Kerala in 2018. In September 2021, the CBI registered an FIR against six individuals, including Satish Kumar, a BSF commandant in the South Bengal region, and Enamul Haque, the alleged kingpin of the operation. The investigation revealed that between 2015 and 2017, over 20,000 cattle heads had been seized by the Border Security Force (BSF) as they were being smuggled across the border.

Anubrata Mondal's involvement surfaced during the investigation. In June 2022, his security personnel, Saigal Hossain, was arrested after interrogation. Following this, Mondal was summoned for questioning in May 2022 but allegedly did not cooperate. Consequently, the CBI arrested Mondal on August 11, 2022, accusing him of non-cooperation in the investigation. The agency also raided 13 locations, including the residences of his close aides, Karim Khan and Ziaul Haque, in Birbhum district.

Subsequently, the CBI filed a charge sheet in October 2022, bringing charges against Mondal under Section 420 (Cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and several sections of The Prevention of Corruption Act. In November 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) took custody of Mondal from the CBI. Despite multiple bail applications, Mondal's pleas were denied, and he was moved to Tihar Jail in Delhi in April 2023.