As reported by news agency ANI, Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested the brother of TMC leader Vinay Mishra in connection to the coal and cattle scam. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had issued an arrest warrant against the youth leader of TMC in the cattle smuggling case early this year. In spite of receiving four summons, Mishra failed to join the investigations.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1371790674568257537?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwPrior to this, CBI had carried out raids at multiple locations, including that of Mishra, who is believed to be a close aid of West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamta Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee. As per reports, the TMC leader was the first politician who was linked to Enamul Haque, the kingpin of the cross-border cattle smuggling racket. The CBI officials have reasons to believe that Mishra was acting as Haque’s front man in the cattle smuggling racket.
An exclusive sting operation conducted by Republic Bangla, caught an alleged member of coal mafia confessing that after 2011 when government changed, the illegal coal operations also changed hands to another mafia. Since 2016 a totally different set of organised mafia has been operating. “This was the time when ‘Lala’ (Arup Majhi) emerged as the king of coal. But Lala is not the only one, several big politicians are also involved in this. Those who we think are the members of the mafia are actually paid with just Rs. 700 for one ton of coal, but a pad of coal costs Rs 1.5 lakh. Politicians from both the ruling party and opposition are involved in this,” the sting revealed.
The report which was made public yesterday made some more shocking revelations related to the case. Vipul, an alleged middleman working for the TMC Youth Wing Leader Vinay Mishra, who is currently absconding was caught saying that he did not manage it alone, “Others are there. Bengal police sometimes create problems and file cases under sections 413,417,418 of the IPC, harass us but cannot do anything more,” he claimed.