[REVISION HISTORY]

West Bengal cash and gold seizure raids

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-07-31 07:25 UTC → 2026-07-31 07:53 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The July 2026 crackdown on alleged illegal sand‑ and stone‑mining networks in West Bengal intensified after a mid‑month raid on a New Town guest house yielded roughly ₹2.2 crore in cash and gold. Investigators then moved to Birbhum district, where a night‑long, 20‑hour operation at the two‑storey home of retired bus driver ~~Minai~~ Minar Mondal recovered ~~more than~~ nearly ₹28 crore in cash ~~and~~ packed in about 35 bags and 15 kg of ~~gold – 14~~ gold—14 one‑kilogram bars and ten 100‑gram biscuits. Several note‑counting machines malfunctioned, requiring manual tallying, while five functional machines assisted in the seizure. Minar Mondal was arrested and told police the assets belonged to his brother‑in‑law, quarry businessman Tulu Mondal, whose gold biscuits ~~– packed into iron trunks.~~ were alleged to have been sourced illegally from Dubai. Following the raid, authorities sealed Tulu Mondal’s residence in Suri. A follow‑up raid on 31 July seized the same quantity of gold, now melted into bars, and about ₹285 million in cash stored in 35 sacks. ~~Police arrested Minai Mondal and, within 24 hours, seized and sealed~~ Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari praised both operations on social media, reiterating the ~~residence of his relative, stone‑quarry owner Tulu Mondal, in Suri. Both men are linked to former Trinamool Congress district president Anubrata Mondal.~~ state’s “zero‑tolerance” stance against corruption and organised crime. The seizures are part of a broader investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, which also targets numerous properties, land deals and businesses tied to the Mondal network. ~~The operation follows earlier~~ Earlier high‑profile raids, including one on former education minister Partha Chatterjee, ~~underscoring~~ underscore the ~~state’s “zero‑tolerance policy against corruption” as highlighted by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Currency‑counting machines malfunctioned during~~ scale of the ~~Birbhum raid, forcing officers to tally cash manually, while five functional machines assisted in~~ crackdown. The combined value of the ~~July 31 seizure.~~ recovered assets is estimated at roughly ₹50 crore.

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