West Bengal police seize ₹28.5 crore cash and 15 kg gold from Minar Mondal

Birbhum Police on Thursday arrested the manager and brother-in-law of absconding stone trader Tullu Mondal after Rs 28.5 crore in cash and 15 kg of gold was recovered from his residence in West Bengal. The case marks one of the state's biggest seizures of suspected illegally amassed assets in recent years. The police carried night-long search operations for cash and gold recovery, deploying five cash-counting machines and several gold-weighing scales to assess the haul."We have recovered Rs 28.5 crore in cash and 15 kg of gold. Tullu Mondal's manager and brother-in-law Minar Mondal has been apprehended. His house has been sealed," Birbhum SP VR Bhundesh told reporters, as quoted by PTI.Also read: Rs 21.5 crore gold, Rs 28.5 crore cash recovered from bus driver's house in West BengalPolice reached Tullu Mondal's residenceBirbhum Police, accompanies by central forces, reached the residence of Tullu Mondal, where a search operation was likely to be carried out.According to PTI, a team of police personnel was seen entering Tullu Mondal's house as central forces remained deployed outside the premises. Mondal has been absconding since the assembly poll results were declared in May.The authorities used several metal trunks to transport the seized cash from the premises after completing the counting process. The money was initially taken to Mohammad Bazar police station in sealed condition and is likely to be deposited in a bank, police sources told the news agency.15 kg gold: Recovery from Minar Mondal's house in BengalPolice recovered 14 gold bars weighing 1 kg each and 10 gold biscuits of 100 grams each, valued at around Rs 21.5 crore at current market prices, from Minar Mondal's two-storey residence at Deucha village in West Bengal.Minar was detained along with his son on Wednesday, following which, he was arrested on Thursday morning and is expected to be produced before a local court.According to police officials cited in the report, Tullu Mondal, alias Mohd Nazibuddin, has substantial interests in Birbhum's stone quarrying business and has been described by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari as a "sand mafia" operator.— SuvenduWB (@SuvenduWB) Adhikari hailed the cash and gold recovery operation as a major crackdown on the "sand mafia" and reiterated his government's "zero tolerance" policy against corruption and organised crime.He had claimed that intensified enforcement had sharply increased revenue collections from Birbhum's stone quarrying sector after the BJP assumed office in West Bengal.A substantial portion of the cash represented revenue has been allegedly siphoned off instead of being deposited into government coffers, the police suspects as the investigation continues to trace the source of the money and identify other persons linked to the alleged racket.Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh commented the development saying that while those responsible for such crimes should not be spared, the government should also investigate political leaders who had allegedly patronised such activities.

Kolkata: The total amount of cash which was found in Bengal’s Birbhum district went upto Rs. 28. 5 crores. Police had seized the cash amount along with 15 kg of gold from the residence of Minar Mondal, a former government bus driver who later entered the stone business. According to police sources, the estimated price of the gold biscuits will be at least Rs. 21.5 crore.Suri, West Bengal: Birbhum District Police conduct search operations at the Suri and Deucha residences of stone trader Tulu Mondal. The searches come a day after ₹28.5 crore in cash and 15 kg of gold were recovered from the Deucha residence of Minar Mondal, a relative of Tulu… pic.twitter.com/ndRRLP5WEd— IANS (@ians_india) July 30, 2026 After seizing the house, police have arrested Minar Mondal on Thursday and are investigating his alleged links to businessman Tulu Mondal, who has been associated with the stone quarrying business in Birbhum.Police are also looking for Tulu Mondal who is absconding.RG Kar Rape-Murder Case: CBI Submits Status Report As Victim's Family Seeks Investigation UpdateThough Minar Mondal has not commented so far on the cash and gold recovery, his son has claimed the family did not know of the fortune hidden inside their home.Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had earlier mentioned that the new state government will have ‘zero tolerance’ against corruption and also that stern action will be taken against corruption.

Kolkata: At least Rs 28 crore in cash was seized from the house of a relative of a close associate of a rebel Trinamool Congress leader. Reportedly, five counting machines failed during the recovery at Minar Mondal's house in West Bengal's Birbhum on Wednesday.West Bengal Police officials recovered 15 kg of gold along with piles of cash from the former government bus driver. Mondal is the brother-in-law of Tulu Mondal, allegedly a close aide of rebel Trinamool Congress leader and Birbhum strongman Anubrata Mondal. Anubrata Mondal joined the rebel camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee earlier this month. WEST BENGAL | MASSIVE CASH & GOLD SEIZEDOn July 29, authorities recovered over ₹20 crore in cash and 15 kg of gold from the residence of a former government bus driver-turned stone trader in Birbhum, West Bengal.According to reports the seized gold is valued at over ₹21… pic.twitter.com/CVW7fxSsvO— contentkikamii (@contentkikamii) July 30, 2026 “Minar Mondal has been arrested after the raid. It was his property where this cash and gold was found. A case has been registered and investigation is ongoing,” a top police official was qouted saying by The Hindu on Thursday.This cash and gold seizure has been one of the biggest in the State after such massive recoveries were made from properties linked to former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee’s and his aide Arpita Mukherjee during the TMC regime. The amount recovered from Ms Mukherjee was ₹50 crore in cash and over 5 kilograms of gold.West Bengal To Provide Eggs Separately In School Mid-Day Meals From August 1"Commendable job by our Law Enforcement personnel for the crackdown on Sand Mafia, " CM Suvedu Adhikari posted on X. Commendable job by our Law Enforcement personnel for the crackdown on Sand Mafia.Following a precise operation based on source based information, Birbhum Police conducted a major raid under Mohammad Bazar PS targeting the hideout of illegal sand mafia Tullu Mondal alias Mohd… pic.twitter.com/Ln4XJCWKKY— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) July 29, 2026 The Chief Minister also unequivocally made it clear that no person with a chequered past who has amassed wealth through the exploitation of public resources and hobnobbing with the then-ruling political party will be spared.Notably, Anubrata Mondal spent two years in Delhi's Tihar Jail in connection with a cattle smuggling case and had earlier made serious allegations against TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee."I went to jail because of Abhishek. The government's revenue earnings from the stone quarries in Birbhum came down from ₹3.5 crore to ₹65 lakh a day. She (Mamata) called me four times after the Assembly polls. I told her, 'You see with your ears, not your eyes.' Mamata is ruined because of him. Nobody will stay," he had said.

Kolkata: Police sources on Wednesday had confirmed that till the time of reporting they have recovered around 15 kg of gold biscuits and nearly Rs 20 crore in cash, packed in about 35 sacks, from the house of Minar Mondal, a former government bus driver and relative of influential stone trader Tulu Mondal.After getting a tip-off, the police raided Minar’s house in the Deucha area in Birbhum district in the wee hours of Wednesday over an investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to the stone trade.GJM Leaders Meet Suvendu Adhikari, Discuss Gorkhaland Dialogue & Darjeeling Hill DevelopmentNotably, five cash-counting machines were brought to the scene to count the huge amount of money and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections warned Tulu Mondal.Commendable job by our Law Enforcement personnel for the crackdown on Sand Mafia.Following a precise operation based on source based information, Birbhum Police conducted a major raid under Mohammad Bazar PS targeting the hideout of illegal sand mafia Tullu Mondal alias Mohd… pic.twitter.com/Ln4XJCWKKY— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) July 29, 2026 Taking to X Adhikari said, “West Bengal Govt’s ongoing drive against the corrupt will go on with ‘Zero Tolerance Policy against Corruption’ as our guiding principle. Let it be unequivocally clear: no person with a chequered past who has amassed wealth through the exploitation of public resources and hobnobbing with the then ruling political party will be spared. Public wealth belongs to the people, and those who loot it will face the full might of the law. Vigilance and uncompromising action will continue. Crackdown on mafia syndicates will go on.”