Retired Birbhum revenue officer Rabiul Islam arrested in Tulu Mondal stone quarry case
Synopsis
A retired Birbhum land officer has been arrested in the sprawling Tulu Mondal stone quarry case — the second bureaucrat nabbed and a sign that West Bengal police are moving up the administrative chain. With ₹220 crore already seized and the main accused still absconding, the investigation is widening in ways that could implicate more officials.
Key Takeaways
Birbhum police arrested retired deputy district land officer Rabiul Islam on the intervening night of Sunday-Monday, 2 November 2026 .
Islam is linked to absconding stone quarry owner Tulu Mondal (also known as Mohammad Nazibuddin ), the main accused in an illegal quarry and illicit wealth case.
11 of 12 accused named in the 13 October charge sheet have now been arrested; Tulu Mondal remains at large.
This is the second bureaucratic arrest in the case — block land revenue officer Sabyasachi Mondal was arrested on 4 October .
Police have confiscated assets worth ₹220 crore in cash and gold from Tulu Mondal's associates and relatives.
Islam is to be produced before a court in Suri , with police custody expected to be sought.
Birbhum police in West Bengal arrested retired deputy district land and land reforms officer Rabiul Islam on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday (2 November 2026) in connection with the ongoing probe into alleged illegal stone quarry operations and illicit wealth accumulation linked to absconding stone quarry owner Tulu Mondal, also known as Mohammad Nazibuddin. Islam, who served in Birbhum — Mondal's operational zone — and retired from government service this year, was named in a charge sheet filed on 13 October but had evaded arrest until Monday's raid.
Background to the Case
Tulu Mondal is described as a close associate of Anubrata Mondal, the former district president of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Birbhum. Investigators allege that Mondal ran illegal stone quarry operations and accumulated disproportionate assets through a network of relatives, associates, and — according to police — compliant local bureaucrats. So far, 11 of the 12 accused named in the charge sheet have been arrested; the main accused, Tulu Mondal, remains at large.
Islam's Arrest and What Comes Next
Islam will be produced before a lower court in Suri, the district headquarters of Birbhum, later on Monday. The public prosecutor is expected to seek police custody to facilitate further questioning. According to police, Islam's role as the former deputy district land and land reforms officer in Birbhum placed him in a position of administrative authority over land and quarry-related approvals in the very district where Tulu Mondal allegedly operated.
Not the First Bureaucrat Arrested
This is at least the second bureaucratic arrest in the Tulu Mondal case. On 4 October, Birbhum district police arrested Sabyasachi Mondal, the then block land revenue officer (NLRO) of Mohammadbazar block in the same district. He was subsequently produced in court and remanded to judicial custody. The arrest of a retired deputy district-level officer marks a significant escalation, suggesting the investigation is moving up the administrative hierarchy.
Scale of Alleged Illicit Assets
Birbhum police have so far confiscated assets worth ₹220 crore in cash and gold belonging to Tulu Mondal, his relatives, and close associates. According to investigators, those in whose residences the assets were found confessed that the holdings belonged to Tulu Mondal and that they had stored them under pressure from the stone-baron. The figure underscores what police describe as an extensive and well-organised network of asset concealment.
Widening Scope of the Investigation
With multiple administrative-level officials now named or arrested, Birbhum police have indicated they are broadening the inquiry beyond the individuals named in the existing charge sheet. The pattern of arrests — a serving block land officer in October, a retired district-level officer now — points to a systematic examination of how the quarry operations allegedly secured administrative cover over the years. The search for Tulu Mondal, the primary accused who continues to evade custody, remains the investigation's central unresolved thread.
Point of View
Not opportunistic. What makes this case notable is the scale: ₹220 crore in confiscated assets and a still-absconding main accused who, according to investigators, had assets parked across a wide network under coercion. The link to Anubrata Mondal's political orbit gives the case a dimension that goes beyond routine corruption, and Birbhum police's willingness to move against retired officials suggests the investigation has political backing at a level that earlier probes did not. The real test is whether the net reaches Tulu Mondal himself, or whether the arrests stop at the administrative layer.
NationPress
2 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tulu Mondal and why is he being investigated?
Tulu Mondal, also known as Mohammad Nazibuddin, is an absconding stone quarry owner from Birbhum, West Bengal, accused of running illegal quarry operations and accumulating illicit wealth. He is reportedly a close associate of Anubrata Mondal, former Birbhum district president of the TMC, and remains the primary accused in a case where ₹220 crore in assets have already been seized.
Why was Rabiul Islam arrested?
Rabiul Islam, a retired deputy district land and land reforms officer of Birbhum, was arrested because his name appeared in a charge sheet filed on 13 October in the Tulu Mondal case. Police allege he had links to the absconding stone quarry baron and had evaded arrest until a raid on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, 2 November 2026.
How many officials have been arrested in the Tulu Mondal case so far?
At least two government officials have been arrested — block land revenue officer Sabyasachi Mondal of Mohammadbazar on 4 October, and now retired deputy district land officer Rabiul Islam on 2 November. Overall, 11 of the 12 accused named in the charge sheet have been arrested.
What assets have been seized in the Tulu Mondal investigation?
Birbhum police have confiscated assets worth ₹220 crore in cash and gold from Tulu Mondal's relatives and close associates. Those from whom the assets were recovered reportedly told investigators that the holdings belonged to Tulu Mondal and were stored at their residences under pressure.
What happens next in the case?
Rabiul Islam is to be produced before a lower court in Suri, Birbhum, on Monday, where the public prosecutor is expected to seek police custody. The primary accused, Tulu Mondal, remains at large, and police have indicated they are expanding the scope of the investigation beyond those already named in the charge sheet.
