Suri: Police on Thursday arrested stone trader Tullu Mondal’s (alias Mohammad Najibuddin) manager and brother-in-law Minar following an overnight raid and sealed his residence in Birbhum’s Deocha village.Tullu figured in a CBI probe into a cattle smuggling case and has been on the run since the elections in May.Birbhum SP VR Bhundesh said police recovered Rs 28.5 crore cash and 15 kilograms of gold (14 gold bars of 1kg each and 10 gold biscuits of 100 grams each) from Minar’s residence.“The cash and gold belong to an organised syndicate led by Tullu. Raids are being carried out in all properties linked to him,” the SP said.The seizure is part of a wider crackdown on illegal mining in Birbhum. According to the police, Tullu has major interest in Birbhum’s stone quarrying business.CM Suvendu Adhikari had on Wednesday described the raid as a major crackdown on the “sand mafia”. He said that his govt’s zero-tolerance policy on corruption and organised crime had led to a sharp rise in revenue from Birbhum.Sources said the Trinamool govt had handed toll gate management contracts to private players in Birbhum’s stone belt to check royalty evasion.Allegations surfaced that Tullu managed to secure around seven toll gate contracts because of his ties with Birbhum strongman politician Anubrata Mondal. Fake duplicate carbon receipts or DCRs were allegedly issued in connivance with governing party functionaries.Upon taking office, BJP removed private entities from the toll gates and handed over their administration to four departments, including land revenue and transport.Records show DCR revenue averaged Rs 19 lakh a day between April and Oct 2025 and Rs 70 lakh a day between Nov 2025 and March 2026.On May 17, after the BJP govt removed private entities, collections hit Rs 1.2 crore and Rs 2.3 crore the next day.Suri MLA Jagannath Chattopadhyay alleged DCR corruption under the previous govt totalled at least Rs 10,000 crore.
