PTC Web Desk: A massive cache of cash and gold was recovered during a police raid in West Bengal's Birbhum district, with officials seizing more than Rs 28 crore in cash and around 15 kg of gold. The recovery was so large that several currency-counting machines reportedly stopped working during the counting process.

The police arrested Minar Mondal, at whose residence the cash and gold were found. Investigators say he has claimed that the recovered assets belong to businessman Tulu Mondal and his alleged illegal syndicate.

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Raid continues overnight

The search operation began on Wednesday night at Minar Mondal's residence in Birbhum. Initially, the police counted over Rs 5.5 crore in cash. As the counting continued through the night, the total amount recovered crossed Rs 28 crore by Thursday morning.

According to officials, the volume of cash was so huge that five currency-counting machines reportedly became unusable during the process.

In addition to the cash, the police also recovered approximately 15 kg of gold, estimated to be worth around Rs 21 crore in the current market.

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

Who are Minar and Tulu Mondal?

The police said Minar Mondal, who is related to businessman Tulu Mondal, was earlier employed as a bus driver and had also worked in the state transport department before entering the stone trade. Investigators believe Minar has links with stone quarries and crushing units allegedly owned by Tulu Mondal.

Tulu Mondal is known as a stone trader and is considered a close aide of former Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal. Earlier this month, Anubrata Mondal joined the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee.

Following his arrest, Minar Mondal allegedly told the police that both the cash and the gold belonged to Tulu Mondal and his alleged illegal business network.

The police are now investigating the source of the money, how such a large quantity of cash was accumulated and whether it is linked to any illegal financial transactions or other unlawful activities.

Senior police officials supervised the operation, although authorities have not officially disclosed what specific intelligence led to the raid.

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Govt reiterates anti-corruption stand

Reacting to the operation, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari praised the police action and reiterated the government's zero-tolerance policy against corruption.

In a post on X, he commended law enforcement officials for acting on intelligence inputs and carrying out the operation against what he described as an illegal sand mafia network. He said the state government would continue strict action against those accused of amassing wealth through illegal means and exploiting public resources.

He added that no individual with a questionable past or links to corrupt practices would be spared, and that the crackdown on mafia syndicates would continue.

Political war of words within TMC

The recovery has triggered a fresh political confrontation within the Trinamool Congress, with leaders from different factions making allegations over the alleged links between the accused and former party leaders.

TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh questioned whether certain leaders who had recently emerged as "good Trinamool" members were connected to those from whose premises the cash was recovered. He said the truth should be established and suggested that police question anyone found to have links with the accused.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said Birbhum had long been dominated by a former Trinamool minister popularly known as the "Tiger of Birbhum" and urged the Chief Minister to investigate the alleged connections between influential political figures and the accused.

Lavish wedding returns to spotlight

The raid has also brought renewed attention to the extravagant wedding organised by Tulu Mondal for his daughter in Birbhum's Suri in 2024.

According to sources, the event reportedly cost around Rs 100 crore and featured several Bengali and Bollywood celebrities, including Ankush Hazra, Darshana Banik, Arbaaz Khan and Zareen Khan.