Rs 5.5 crore cash and 15 kg gold recovered from the house of an ordinary bus driver in Birbhum! Who is the real kingpin of this black empire linked to Rs 100 crore marriage, sand mafia and corridors of power? The mystery deepened.
Kolkata: Mohammad Bazar area of Birbhum district of West Bengal suddenly turned into a cantonment on Tuesday night. When a large number of police forces and senior officers were deployed outside a very ordinary looking two-storey building, the local residents had no idea that there was such a sea of black money hidden inside this house, which would leave the officers in tears. According to police sources, the house where the raid was conducted belongs to Minar Mandal, a former bus driver of the state transport department. Note counting machines, huge piles of cash and shining bricks of gold have been recovered from the hideout of this person who once drove a bus on a nominal salary. The counting of notes was going on till late Wednesday evening amidst tight security.
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5.5 crore cash, 15 kg gold and that ‘secret’ safe
As the investigation progressed, the figures recovered surprised even the investigators. So far, unaccounted cash worth more than Rs 5.5 crore and about 15 kg of gold has been seized from this hideout of Minar Mandal. The police have not yet officially revealed what was the main reason for the raid, but the initial investigation is linking it to illegal financial transactions and sand and stone mafia syndicate.
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Journey from former bus driver to wealth worth crores
According to sources, Minar Mandal, from whose house this recovery was made, was once working as a bus driver in the state transport department. After leaving the job of the Transport Department, Minar Mandal suddenly got into the big stone business and was looking after the operation of many big stone quarries and crushing units in the area. During this time, he got connected with the local business network. The investigating agencies are now trying to find out how such huge wealth was accumulated in a few years. The sources of income, bank records and business transactions are being thoroughly investigated.
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Trinamool vs Trinamool: The ‘Tiger of Birbhum’ connection
This mega-raid has created a fierce storm in the political circles of West Bengal. Actually, the accused Minar Mandal is not an ordinary businessman but a very close relative of stone trader Tulu Mandal. Tulu Mandal was considered the right hand man of Anubrata Mandal, a former senior leader of Trinamool Congress and known as ‘Tiger of Birbhum’. However, earlier this month, Tulu Mandal changed sides and joined the rebel group led by Ritabrata Banerjee. However, the investigating agencies have not yet officially said whether the recovered property is directly related to any political activity or illegal financial network. For this reason, the scope of investigation is being continuously expanded.
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Why is the Rs 100 crore wedding in discussion again?
This seizure has also refreshed the memories of a very luxurious and famous wedding that took place in Suri (Birbhum) in the year 2024. According to sources, Tulu Mandal had spent like water on his daughter’s wedding, the total budget of which was around Rs 100 crore. The high-profile wedding was attended by big Bollywood and Bengali actors like Arbaaz Khan, Zareen Khan, Ankush Hazra and Darshana Banik. Now political parties are demanding an investigation as to where a former bus driver and his relatives got such huge wealth from and which big leaders are behind this syndicate.
Round of allegations and counter-allegations begins in politics
After the raid, the politics of the state has also heated up. Different leaders of Trinamool Congress have started targeting each other. Many leaders have demanded that the real owners of the recovered cash and gold be traced and those whose names come forward should be interrogated. Meanwhile, the state government has reiterated its ‘zero tolerance’ policy against corruption and said that those amassing wealth illegally will not be spared at any cost.
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CM’s strict message: “Mafia syndicate will not be spared”
Giving approval to this major action, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari issued a very strong message on the social media platform X. He made it clear that his government is working on ‘zero-tolerance policy’ against corruption. Patting the Birbhum Police on the back, the Chief Minister wrote that this precise operation has been carried out on the basis of solid intelligence. He warned that any suspect involved in looting public resources and accumulating black money under the patronage of the then ruling party will not be spared and the law will dismantle these syndicates with full force.
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