West Bengal Police on Saturday, 15 August arrested a senior official of the state Land and Land Revenue Department for his alleged links with absconding stone quarry owner Tulu Mondal alias Mohammad Nazibuddin in Birbhum district. The arrest marks a significant escalation in a case that has already seen the recovery of ₹28 crore in cash and 15 kg of gold worth approximately ₹22 crore.

The Arrested Official

The detained official has been identified as Probir Das, head assistant at the Suri sub-divisional office of the Land and Land Revenue Department. A Birbhum District Police team conducted a night-long raid at his residence in Suri before taking him into custody.

Das was produced before a district court in Birbhum later on Saturday, which remanded him to six-day police custody. Public prosecutor Bivas Chattopadhyay told the court that five mobile phones were seized during the raid and that investigators had found incriminating evidence indicating Das's alleged links with Mondal's illegal stone quarrying and trading operations. Das's wife, Sathi Das, however, maintained that her husband was innocent and had no involvement in the alleged activities.

The Absconding Quarry Owner

Tulu Mondal has been on the run since a major seizure earlier this month brought him under the scanner of both the Birbhum District Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The cash and gold were recovered from the residence of his close relative, Minar Mondal, who reportedly told investigators during interrogation that the assets belonged to Tulu and that he had merely been entrusted with their safekeeping.

A Birbhum district court has since issued a 'Hulia' — a court notice containing details of a wanted fugitive — against Tulu Mondal. A red-corner notice was also issued against him earlier.

Political Connections and Background

Mondal, who reportedly began his career as a daily wager, saw a rapid rise in his fortunes during the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. He was regarded as a close associate of former Birbhum district TMC president Anubrata Mondal.

Anubrata Mondal had spent months in custody after being arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and later the ED in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling case in West Bengal. He is currently associated with the 'rebel but majority' faction of the TMC led by Ritabrata Banerjee. Tulu Mondal's name had surfaced in the same cattle smuggling case in 2022, when the ED raided his residence and office as part of its investigation.

ED Probe and What Comes Next

The ED has initiated preparations for a formal probe into Tulu Mondal's financial activities. Central agency officials are currently collecting information from the Birbhum District Police. The arrest of Das suggests investigators are now widening their net to include individuals who may have facilitated Mondal's operations through official channels.

With a court-issued Hulia and a red-corner notice both active, pressure is mounting on authorities to apprehend Mondal before the ED's probe reaches its next stage.