Thane session court rejects anticipatory bail of builder in Param Bir Singh case

The complainant’s lawyer said, Sanjay Punamia took ₹1.5 crore from his client after Singh and his team threatened to file a fake case

The Thane sessions court rejected the anticipatory bail of builder Sanjay Punamia, who was earlier in the custody of Kopri police in the extortion case registered against ex- Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. Thane Nagar police will take Punamia’s custody from Kopri police officers soon.

Sanjay Punamia was arrested by Marine Drive police in July. On August 7, Kopri police took his custody.

In July, Sonu Jalan and Ketan Tanna registered an extortion complaint against Singh and 29 other accused, including then deputy commissioner of police Deepak Devraj, assistant commissioner NT Kadam, ex-cop Pradeep Sharma, senior inspector Rajkumar Kothmire, gangster Ravi Pujari and some journalists at Thane Nagar police station.

Tanna, who is in the construction business, claimed that Singh and the other accused extorted crores of rupees by threatening to name him in a fake criminal case. They allegedly also threatened to carry out his encounter if he did not pay the money, alleged Tanna.

Punamia was arrested by Marine Drive police in July. On August 7, Kopri police took his custody. He then applied for anticipatory bail for the case registered against him in Thane Nagar police station.

An officer from Thane Nagar police station said, “The anticipatory bail has been rejected and we will soon take his custody in the extortion case. We will investigate to establish his role in the case.”

The complainant’s lawyer, Sagar Kadam, said, “Punamia was involved in several cash transactions. My client claims that he had given ₹1.5 crore to Punamia after Singh and his team threatened to file a fake case against Jalan. On different occasions, Punamia had extorted money in Singh and his team’s names.”