Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) The name of another Trinamool Congress leader, Jakir Hossain, has surfaced in the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam case in West Bengal.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Jakir Hossain, Trinamool Congress MLA from Jangipur assembly constituency, to appear at the central agency’s headquarters in New Delhi next week for questioning in connection with the case.
ED sources said Hossain was earlier summoned on March 2. However, he skipped the meeting.
Hossain himself confirmed the summon from ED and said that he will not be able to go to New Delhi next week also as he is under bed rest following the advice of doctors. He also said that he will intimate the central agency about his inability on this count.
Earlier, following a marathon raid and search operations from January 11 that lasted till January 12 morning, the Income Tax department recovered Rs 11 crore from the residence, factory and rice mill of Jakir Hossain.
The Income Tax department at that point of time handed over the details of the documents seized from Hossain’s residence and office to the ED sleuths as well. Sources said that after cross checking the documents seized by the Income Department, the ED sleuths came across certain clues that hinted towards his connection with the cattle smuggling.
In January after the seizure of huge cash from his residence and office, Hossain told media persons that the raids were done just to harass him and malign his image in public. On the huge cash recovered, he said that he was a businessman and often required to make cash payments.
Anubrata Mondal and his personal chartered accountant Manish Kothari are in ED custody in Delhi in cattle smuggling case. Mondal’s bodyguard Sehgal Hossain, who was arrested earlier, is serving judicial custody at Tihar Jail.
–IANS
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