CBI teams reach Arthur Road, Taloja jails to take custody of Anil Deshmukh, Vaze

The authorities from both Arthur Road and Taloja jails have confirmed that the paper work of handing over Anil Deshmukh and Sachin Vaze is underway.

MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reached Arthur Road jail to take custody of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde in connection with a money laundering case. Meanwhile, another team of CBI has reached Taloja jail to take custody of dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze in connection with the same case.

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh (left) is currently lodged in the Arthur Road jail while dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze (right) has been lodged at the Taloja jail. (File Photos)

The authorities from both the prisons have confirmed that the paper work of handing over the accused is underway.

A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court On Friday allowed the agency to take custody of Deshmukh, Palande and Shinde, all arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case against Deshmukh, from Arthur Road jail where they are currently lodged.

On Friday itself, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court allowed CBI to take custody of dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze, who has been lodged at the Taloja jail.

The PMLA court directed the Arthur Road jail superintendent to hand over the custody of Deshmukh, Palande and Shinde to the central agency. The NIA court issued a similar directive to the superintendent of Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai where Vaze is lodged.

Vaze, 50, was arrested by NIA on March 13, 2021, in connection with the Antilia explosives scare and connected murder of Thane-based car accessories shop owner Mansukh Hiran, while Deshmukh, 72, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case against him, his son Hrishikesh and others.

CBI on Thursday secured a production warrant to arrest the four. On the strength of the warrant, the agency on Friday moved the special PMLA court and special NIA court, seeking permission to arrest them in connection with the corruption case registered against Anil Deshmukh on April 21, 2021.

The CBI case is based on the allegations of corruption levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. In a letter written to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 20, 2021, Singh alleged that Deshmukh had instructed certain Mumbai police officers, including assistant inspector Sachin Vaze, to collect an amount of ₹100 crore every month from Mumbai’s restaurants and bars.

ED registered a money laundering case against Deshmukh, his son Hrishikesh and others. On Deshmukh’s instructions, Vaze had allegedly called a meeting of bar owners, and between December 2020 and February 2021, collected ₹4.7 crore from the owners of orchestra bars in Mumbai to avoid police interference.

In his statement to ED, Vaze revealed that he had handed over the “extorted money” in two instalments to Kundan Shinde.

On June 26, ED arrested Shinde and Deshmukh’s personal secretary Sanjeev Palande in the money laundering case, and on August 23, filed a charge sheet against them. Vaze is also an accused in the charge sheet.