CBI questions Mumbai CP for six hours

The central agency examined Pandey, the then Director General of Police (DGP), for allegedly trying to influence the complainant in the case - former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh

Mumbai The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday examined Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey for six hours in connection with the corruption case registered against former home minister Anil Deshmukh.

The officer said that it was evident from Pandey’s interaction with Singh that the Maharashtra government was trying to protect Anil Deshmukh from the serious allegations of corruption (HT PHOTO)

The central agency examined Pandey, the then Director General of Police (DGP), for allegedly trying to influence the complainant in the case - former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, while the matter was being heard in the Bombay high court (HC), said a CBI officer.

The officer said that it was evident from Pandey’s interaction with Singh that the Maharashtra government was trying to protect Anil Deshmukh from the serious allegations of corruption.

The officer added that they recorded Pandey’s statement, but not about the allegations of corruption, but about his conversation with Singh, transcripts of which show that Pandey had advised Singh to consider withdrawing the letter written by him to the chief minister and other dignitaries on March 20, 2021.

In a letter written to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 20, Singh alleged that Deshmukh had instructed certain Mumbai police officers, including dismissed API Sachin Vaze, to collect an amount of ₹100 crore every month from Mumbai’s restaurants and bars.

On April 21, CBI registered an offence against Deshmukh on the basis of the allegations made by Singh. Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also registered a money laundering case against Deshmukh, his son Hrishikesh and others.

In statements given to the Enforcement Directorate, Vaze claimed that on Deshmukh’s instructions, he had called a meeting of bar owners, and that, between December 2020 and February 2021, he collected ₹4.7 crore from the owners of so-called orchestra bars in Mumbai to avoid police interference. He added that he had handed over the “extorted money” in two instalments to Deshmukh’s personal assistant Kundan Shinde.

In this backdrop, after Maharashtra government initiated inquiries against Singh, Pandey had in a WhatsApp chat, asked Singh to withdraw the March 20 letter written by him to several dignitaries, levelling allegations of corruption against Deshmukh.

CBI believes that the conversation showed that Pandey on behalf of the state government, was trying to weaken the case against Deshmukh. Despite several attempts, Pandey was not available for a comment.