CBI to question Deshmukh over ex-top cop’s allegations

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh to appear before it on Wednesday in connection with its preliminary enquiry (PE) against him into allegations that he asked suspended police officer Sachin Vaze to extort ₹100 crore a month in Mumbai from bars, restaurants, hotels, and other sources, two officials said on Monday

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh to appear before it on Wednesday in connection with its preliminary enquiry (PE) against him into allegations that he asked suspended police officer Sachin Vaze to extort ₹100 crore a month in Mumbai from bars, restaurants, hotels, and other sources, two officials said on Monday.

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Former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh, in a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray last month, levelled these allegations against Deshmukh in the aftermath of an explosives-laden vehicle being found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house, the murder of a man linked to the vehicle, the arrest of Vaze, and the removal of Singh as Mumbai’s police commissioner.

“Anil Deshmukh is the primary suspect in this enquiry. He needs to be questioned regarding the claims that he wanted Vaze to collect this scale of money every month. He will be confronted with the statements of Vaze, Param Bir Singh and his staff,” said one of the officers who asked not to be named.

The Bombay high court ordered a CBI probe against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Deshmukh on April 5, saying a police investigation was not possible as the department reported to him. He resigned as home minister the same day.

On April 8, terming the allegations as “serious”, the Supreme Court dismissed pleas by the NCP leader and the Maharashtra government challenging the high court order.

On Sunday, CBI questioned Deshmukh’s personal assistants, Sanjeev Palande and Kundan Shinde. Vaze and Param Bir Singh were examined last week.

CBI took their statements to find out if Deshmukh indeed asked Vaze and assistant commissioner of police Sanjay Patil to collect ₹100 crore from hotels, bars, restaurants, and other sources, as alleged by Singh in his eight-page letter to Thackeray on March 20. Singh also said in his letter that when Vaze and Patil went to meet Deshmukh at the latter’s residence, Palande and Shinde were present there.

People familiar with the CBI’s PE procedure told HT that though they have just nine more days to conclude the inquiry, finding a “prime facie” offence would not be difficult.

Several documents recovered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) during the probe into the bomb scare near Ambani’s house Antilia, and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran, who was linked to the vehicle in which the gelatin sticks were found, have been analysed by CBI over last few days. The federal agency has also questioned bar owners, Mumbai Police officers, and people close to Deshmukh.

NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil has assumed charge as the home minister of Maharashtra after Deshmukh’s resignation. The state government has also set up a probe by retired Bombay high court judge Kailash Chandiwal to probe the allegations against Deshmukh, and submit a report within six months.

NCP said that Deshmukh will cooperate with the agency in the inquiry. “If CBI has summoned him then he (Anil Deshmukh) will respond and cooperate accordingly. He made no mistake and we are sure he will come out clean in the CBI inquiry,” said Nawab Malik, the party’s chief spokesperson and state minority affairs minister.