Rs280 million in cash, 15kg gold seized from bus driver in Bengal raid

Kolkata: Police in West Bengal have seized more than Rs280 million in cash and 15kg of gold worth an estimated Rs210 million during a raid in Birbhum district, before arresting a man allegedly linked to a suspected crime syndicate.

The raid, which began on Wednesday afternoon and continued for nearly 24 hours, led to the arrest of Minar Mondal, a relative of influential stone-quarry owner Tulu Mondal.

Investigators brought in currency-counting machines from a local bank branch to count the cash recovered from Minar’s residence. After repeated counting, police said the seizure totalled slightly more than Rs 280 million.

In addition to the cash, officers recovered 15kg of gold, taking the combined value of the seizure to nearly Rs500 million, according to the investigating team.

Minar was taken to a local police station after his arrest on Thursday morning. Police were seen leaving his residence with trunks containing the seized cash and gold. He is expected to be produced before a court in Suri, where prosecutors will seek his custody for further questioning.

Birbhum Superintendent of Police Bidit Raj Bundesh said Minar initially declined to explain the source of the cash and gold but later allegedly told investigators that the assets were linked to a crime syndicate.

According to police, the raid followed the arrest of seven alleged dacoits by Mohammad Bazar police on Tuesday. Information obtained during their interrogation led investigators to Minar’s residence, where the search operation was launched.

Police said Minar previously worked as a driver with the state-run transport corporation. Local residents, however, claimed he had been closely associated with the stone-quarry business of Tulu Mondal.

Investigators are now examining whether the cash and gold recovered from Minar’s home belonged to Tulu Mondal.

Tulu Mondal has previously faced allegations of illegal stone mining, and his name also surfaced in a cattle-smuggling investigation. The Enforcement Directorate raided his home and office in 2022 as part of that probe.