Kolkata, Jul 1 (IANS): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the cattle and coal smuggling cases in West Bengal, has come across crucial information about a chain of operators through which receipts and transfers of huge amounts of cash took place.

Highly placed CBI sources said that Sehgal Hossain, the bodyguard of Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mandal and also a constable with the West Bengal Police, had set up a chain of money transfer from among his close relatives in this multi- crore cattle and coal smuggling scam.

Hossain is currently under the CBI custody and the central agency sleuths have already come across huge assets owned by him in forms of cash, landed property, multiple residences and gold. This has left the CBI sleuths wondering on how a simple constable of the state police by profession became owner of such huge assets.

As per initial findings, Hossain used the bank accounts of these relatives for both receipt and transfer of the smuggling proceeds against a commission for using their bank accounts.

Already the CBI has started interrogating six maternal uncles of Sehgal Hossain, whose bank accounts have been reportedly used in this money receipts and transfer process. Like Hossain, his six maternal uncles, mainly involved in transport and dumper-hiring businesses, witnessed a huge jump in their financial assets since 2014, the year when Hossain was given the assignment of Mandal's security by the state police. Incidentally, Anubrata Mandal is the Trinamool Congress' district president of Birbhum.

CBI sources further said that Hossain was probably not the only police personnel in Birbhum who were direct or indirect beneficiaries in this illegal trade. From Hossain's diary, the CBI has come across the names of a number of present and former police personnel in Birbhum, whom the central agency sleuths believe to be the beneficiaries.

Mandal is under the scanner of CBI in two cases. The CBI is hounding him for the cattle and coal smuggling case and have also interrogated him twice. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), the investigation arm of the Union finance ministry, is also holding a parallel probe in the matter. Mandal is also being probed by the special branch of CBI for his alleged involvement in the post-poll violence cases in West Bengal.