Extortion case against Param Bir Singh: 2 arrested cops sent to CID custody

A magistrate court on Tuesday sent the two arrested police officers to the custody of the Maharashtra crime investigation department (CID), which has arrested them in the ₹20 crore extortion case related to the former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh

A magistrate court on Tuesday sent the two arrested police officers to the custody of the Maharashtra crime investigation department (CID), which has arrested them in the ₹20 crore extortion case related to the former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

Maharashtra CID is probing multiple cases against former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The CID has also applied before the court, seeking the issuance of a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against the former top cop who has already two NBWs issued against him.

Police inspectors - Nandkumar Gopale, who is currently posted with the police training centre in Khandala, and Asha Korke, posted at local arms in Naigaon - were named as co-accused along with Singh in the first information report (FIR) registered by the Marine Drive police on the complaint of Bhayander-based developer Shyamsunder Agrawal. There are at least three other police personnel, including a deputy commissioner of police (DCP)-rank officer, who are named as accused in the case.

Gopale has been an ace investigator of Mumbai police. He played a key role in many high-profile cases in past including the IPL betting case, the Indian Mujahideen case and the journalist J Dey murder case.

The CID in a statement said that after collecting evidence, it arrested Gopale and Korke on Monday and would produce them in a local court in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Special public prosecutor Shekhar Jagtap said that the accused officers allegedly extorted cash worth ₹50 lakh through a hawala operator from Sharad Agrawal, the nephew of the complainant, by threatening to arrest his uncle in a false case. Hawala operator, Momin, is an old associate of Sanjay Punamiya, one of the accused in the case and Agarwal’s ex-business partner, Jagtap said.

“The CID officers have established the link between the arrested officers, hawala operator and the main accused Punamiya. The CID has obtained scientific evidence against the two officers that indicated that they have accepted ₹50 lakh in cash,” Jagtap added.

The CID is probing an FIR filed on Agrawal’s complaint at the Marine Drive police station. Agrawal had alleged that early this year, Juhu police filed an extortion case, accusing him of having links with underworld don Chhota Shakeel. Later, the police applied the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case. Agrawal claimed that based on this false case, Singh and his subordinates extorted money from him at the behest of Punamiya, who is the main accused in the case.

A few days later, Gopale, who was then Mumbai crime branch unit 9 in-charge, raided Agrawal’s Bhayander and Vile Parle residences. During these raids, the accused police officers illegally seized some partnership documents and other papers without making any official entry. Later, the photocopies of these documents were found in Punamiya’s possession, stated the FIR filed by Marine Drive police.

Singh is wanted by multiple law enforcement agencies and the CID is probing at least three of the five FIRs filed against him.

“There have already been two non-bailable warrants issued against Singh. On Tuesday, we urged the court to issue NBW in this case as well,” said Jagtap.

A look-out circular (LoC) has also been issued against the former Mumbai Police chief. Apart from this, two open inquiries have also been initiated against the 1988-batch senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer by the state anti-corruption bureau (ACB) over the corruption allegations made against him by two serving police inspectors.