Mumbai police crime branch issues notice to Param Bir Singh in extortion case

A copy of the notice, issued by unit-11 of the crime branch, has also been pasted on the door of Singh's official residence at Nilima Building in Walkeshwar.

The Mumbai Police crime branch on Saturday issued a notice to former police commissioner Param Bir Singh in connection with an extortion case registered against him on the basis of a complaint by a city hotelier and civic contractor. The notice has asked Singh to appear before the investigating officer concerned for the enquiry on October 12.

Param Bir Singh was removed as the commissioner of Mumbai Police in March, following the Antilia bomb scare and the subsequent Mansukh Hiren murder cases. (HT File Photo)

A copy of the notice, issued by unit-11 of the crime branch, has also been pasted on the door of Singh's official residence at Nilima Building in Walkeshwar.

A team of police officials has also gone to Chandigarh to serve the notice at his native place, said a crime branch officer.

The case concerns a complaint lodged by private contractor Bimal Agarwal who had alleged that Singh along with dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin had threatened him and extorted (hafta) monthly payments from January 2020 till March 2021 for “letting him run his hotels in Goregaon and Andheri without any police hassles.” The case was originally registered by the Goregaon police but was later transferred to the Crime Branch.

In order to meet their extortion demand, Agarwal claimed that he had paid a sum of 9 lakh in cash along with giving them two Samsung Fold-2 mobile phones worth ₹2,12,000 to the accused. The contractor had further alleged that the accused had extorted money from other hotel owners and bookies in Mumbai.

Singh's mobile phone is switched off, prompting the investigating agencies to suspect that the senior cop might have fled abroad.

On March 18, 2021, Maharashtra government shunted out Singh as Mumbai police commissioner following Ambani security scare and Hiran murder case and transferred him to home guards.

(With inputs from bureau)