A multi-agency investigation is underway in West Bengal into how Tulu Mondal — a Birbhum-based stone quarry owner also identified as Mohammad Nazibuddin — allegedly secured 84 government construction contracts during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) administration, despite his firm reportedly lacking prior experience in the sector. Mondal, currently absconding, has emerged as the central figure in what investigators describe as a sprawling corruption network built over the last five years.

The Scale of the Contracts

State police investigations have revealed that Mondal Stone Products, the corporate entity owned by Tulu Mondal, was awarded as many as 84 government construction contracts over the past five years — a figure that has raised serious questions about procurement oversight. The contracts were not confined to Birbhum district alone; they extended to neighbouring West Burdwan and East Burdwan districts as well.

The projects included road construction under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the state government's own road scheme 'Pathashree', and the construction of river dams — a diverse portfolio that critics argue would be unusual for a firm with no established track record in construction.

Cash, Gold, and a Sealed Mansion

The investigation gained momentum after Birbhum District Police seized cash and gold reportedly worth around ₹50 crore from the residence of Minar Mondal, identified as a close relative of Tulu Mondal, on 30 July. During subsequent interrogation, Minar Mondal reportedly confessed that the seized assets actually belonged to Tulu Mondal, and that he had merely been entrusted with their safekeeping.

Following this disclosure, police sealed Tulu Mondal's palatial residence in Suri, Birbhum, on 31 July. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari subsequently stated that the administration had frozen ₹93 crore held across various accounts linked to Mondal.

ED Enters the Picture

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has begun preliminary groundwork to initiate a formal money laundering investigation against Tulu Mondal, according to sources aware of the development. The agency is currently procuring information about Mondal and his business interests from the Birbhum District Police, who are already conducting their own probe. The ED's interest centres on the scale of assets Mondal reportedly accumulated during the previous state government's tenure.

This is not the first time Mondal has come under the ED's radar. In 2022, central investigators raided his house and office in connection with the West Bengal cattle smuggling case, in which his name had also surfaced.

The Anubrata Mondal Connection

Tulu Mondal was widely regarded in Birbhum as a close associate of Anubrata Mondal, the former Trinamool Congress district president of Birbhum. Anubrata Mondal was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2022 and subsequently by the ED in connection with the cattle smuggling case, spending a prolonged period in custody. The political proximity between the two figures has drawn fresh scrutiny as investigators trace how the contracts were awarded.

Chief Minister Adhikari alleged that Mondal's alleged corruption empire 'was not built in a day' and would not have been possible without the backing of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — a charge the TMC has not yet formally responded to. As the probe widens, the focus is expected to shift to the officials and political figures who approved the contracts.