Third non-bailable warrant issued against ex-Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh

This non-bailable warrant was issued against in connection with an extortion case registered at the Marine Drive police station.

A fresh non-bailable warrant was issued against former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh in connection with extortion cases registered against him.

Param Bir Singh. (HT File)

Last month, the state home department proposed to declare the former top police officer as an absconder and also sought the Intelligence Bureau's help to trace him. According to officials in the home department, the legal process of declaring Singh an absconder has begun.

An ANI report said the latest warrant is the third one against Singh and has been issued in connection with an extortion case registered at the Marine Drive police station. Two serving police inspectors -- Nandkumar Gopale and Asha Korke -- were arrested in the same case following hours of investigation by the state investigation department on Monday.

On July 23, the extortion case was registered against Singh, dismissed officer Sachin Waze and others at Goregaon police station, whose investigation was later handed over to the Mumbai Crime Branch. It was the second case of extortion in which Singh has been named.

The Enforcement Directorate had earlier summoned the former top officer to record a statement in connection with the ₹100 crore money laundering case against ex-Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.

Singh had also alleged that Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked Waze and other officers to collect ₹100 crore every month from restaurants and bars in the country's financial capital.

Earlier, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had taken a jibe at Singh’s absconding status. He said that while the Supreme Court was talking about a case pending in Maharashtra since 1958 as the accused was absconding, at present, there was case where the complainant himself was missing.