The Enforcement Directorate has arrested the prime accused in the multi-crore cross-border cattle smuggling racket in connection with a money-laundering probe into the illegal trade that takes place across the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal.
The accused has been identified as Mohd Enamul Haque, who was first arrested by the CBI in November 2020 and now out on bail since last month. The ED has based its case on the CBI FIR.
Haque was taken into custody under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Earlier, the CBI had filed a charge sheet before a special court in West Bengal's Asansol alleging that Haque was the mastermind of the illegal cattle trade.
It is also alleged that he was assisted by Trinamool Congress youth leader Vinay Mishra and his brother Vikas Mishra, who was also arrested, in connivance with BSF Commandant Satish Kumar, who was posted in Murshidabad and Malda regions.
In a statement, the ED had earlier claimed that Vinay Mishra and Vikas Mishra had received funds amounting to Rs 6.1 crore from alleged cattle smuggler Haque between October 2016-March 2017. The ED had attached the house of Mishra brothers in Kolkata by the ED March last year.
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