Tulu Mondal's manager Sitesh Pramanik arrested in Birbhum stone-quarry case
Synopsis
Three arrests, ₹28 crore in cash, 15 kg of gold, and a fugitive owner reportedly hiding in Dubai — the Birbhum stone-quarry case is expanding fast. With the ED now moving in and links to the West Bengal cattle smuggling network resurfacing, this is no longer a local money-recovery story.
Key Takeaways
Sitesh Pramanik , manager of absconding quarry owner Tulu Mondal , was arrested in Birbhum on 3 August .
Police had earlier recovered ₹28 crore in cash and 15 kg of gold (worth ~ ₹22 crore ) from the residence of Tulu's relative Minar Mondal .
This is the third arrest in the case, following Minar Mondal and nephew Sheikh Wasim , who was nabbed near Siliguri while allegedly fleeing to Nepal.
Tulu Mondal is believed to be in Dubai with family members; his precise whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has begun preliminary steps for a money-laundering probe and is coordinating with Birbhum District Police.
Tulu Mondal was previously linked to the West Bengal cattle smuggling case and was associated with former TMC Birbhum chief Anubrata Mondal .
Police in West Bengal's Birbhum district arrested Sitesh Pramanik, the manager of absconding stone-quarry owner Tulu Mondal (also known as Mohammad Nazibuddin), on Monday, 3 August, marking the third arrest in a widening crackdown tied to the recovery of ₹28 crore in cash and 15 kilograms of gold worth approximately ₹22 crore. Mondal himself remains at large, with police believing he is currently in Dubai.
Background: The Cash and Gold Recovery
The chain of arrests began last week when police detained Minar Mondal, a relative of Tulu Mondal, after the staggering seizure of cash and gold from his residence in Birbhum. During interrogation, Minar reportedly confessed that the recovered assets belonged to Tulu Mondal and that he had merely been storing them. Following this disclosure, authorities also seized Tulu Mondal's own residence in Suri, Birbhum district.
Third Arrest in the Case
On Saturday night, Sheikh Wasim — Tulu Mondal's nephew — was arrested from Siliguri in Darjeeling district while allegedly attempting to flee to neighbouring Nepal. Pramanik's arrest on Monday morning now makes him the third individual taken into custody in this matter.
According to a Birbhum District Police officer, investigators had been actively tracking Pramanik since the initial recovery. 'We had been looking for Sitesh ever since the recovery of this huge amount of money and gold from Minar's residence,' the officer said. Pramanik is expected to be presented before a district court later in the day, with the public prosecutor set to seek police custody for further questioning into the source of the seized assets.
Fugitive Owner Believed to Be in Dubai
Tulu Mondal continues to evade arrest. Based on information gathered during interrogations of Minar Mondal and Sheikh Wasim, police believe he fled to Dubai accompanied by close family members, though neither detainee could confirm his precise current location.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also initiated preliminary steps for a formal probe against Tulu Mondal, with central agency officials currently liaising with Birbhum District Police to gather case details.
Links to Cattle Smuggling Case and Anubrata Mondal
Tulu Mondal's profile in Birbhum was closely tied to Anubrata Mondal, the former All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) Birbhum district president, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and subsequently by the ED in 2022 in connection with the West Bengal cattle smuggling case. Tulu Mondal's name surfaced in that same investigation, and ED officials had raided his residence and office at the time. This comes amid a broader pattern of scrutiny on political-business networks in Birbhum that has intensified since the cattle smuggling probe began.
What Happens Next
Investigators will question Pramanik about the origin of the seized cash and gold, seeking to trace financial flows back to Tulu Mondal's quarry operations. With the ED now entering the picture, the case could escalate into a money-laundering investigation. The fugitive owner's extradition, if he is confirmed to be in Dubai, would require diplomatic and legal coordination between Indian authorities and the UAE.
Point of View
Not a one-off transaction. What is notable is the speed with which the ED has moved to the periphery of this case: central agencies typically enter after a state-police predicate offence is established, and that threshold appears to have been crossed quickly here. The Anubrata Mondal connection is the thread investigators will pull hardest — it links this quarry money to the larger cattle-smuggling political economy that has already sent a sitting district party chief to jail. The real question is whether the paper trail from Pramanik's interrogation leads back to political patronage or stops at the quarry owner's personal wealth.
NationPress
3 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tulu Mondal and why is he being investigated?
Tulu Mondal, also known as Mohammad Nazibuddin, is a stone-quarry owner from Birbhum district in West Bengal who is currently absconding. He is under investigation after ₹28 crore in cash and 15 kg of gold were recovered from a relative's home, and his name had earlier surfaced in the West Bengal cattle smuggling case in 2022.
Who is Sitesh Pramanik and why was he arrested?
Sitesh Pramanik is the manager of Tulu Mondal and was arrested on 3 August in Birbhum. Police intend to question him about the source of the cash and gold recovered from Minar Mondal's residence, and he is to be presented before a district court for police custody.
How many arrests have been made in the Birbhum quarry case so far?
Three arrests have been made: Minar Mondal (Tulu's relative, in whose house the assets were found), Sheikh Wasim (Tulu's nephew, arrested near Siliguri while reportedly trying to flee to Nepal), and now Sitesh Pramanik (Tulu's manager).
What is the Enforcement Directorate's role in this case?
The Enforcement Directorate has begun preliminary steps for a money-laundering probe against Tulu Mondal. ED officials are currently collecting information from Birbhum District Police before formally opening an investigation.
What is the connection between Tulu Mondal and the West Bengal cattle smuggling case?
Tulu Mondal was known as a close associate of Anubrata Mondal, the former TMC Birbhum district president who was arrested by the CBI and ED in 2022 in the cattle smuggling case. Tulu's name came up in that probe, and the ED had raided his residence and office at the time.
