2 cops grilled for going soft on Dawood aide

Two senior police inspectors are under scanner for allegedly not taking action against Tariq Parveen, an associate of underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Parveen,

Two senior police inspectors are under scanner for allegedly not taking action against Tariq Parveen, an associate of underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Parveen, who is currently under the custody of Mumbai Police’s crime branch in an extortion case, was accused of beating up a woman and her son and threatening them at gunpoint in south Mumbai in 2017. The two former officers from MRA Marg police station had then allegedly not taken any action against Parveen.

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Top-level enquiry is being conducted in the matter to find out if the two cops were following orders from any senior officer.

Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve transferred the case from MRA Marg police station to crime branch unit-1 on Friday. The two police officers headed the MRA Marg police station in the past and are suspected to have deliberately gone soft on Parveen, an officer from the crime branch confirmed to HT.

In the case, which was lodged in June 2018, Parveen and police informer Salim Maharaj were accused of allegedly beating up a 40-year-old woman and her son and threatening them at gunpoint after a dispute over a deal of smuggling gold from Dubai in December 2017.

The assault case was first registered at the Pydhonie police station, but it got transferred to MRA Marg police station within few hours. However, no further action was taken against the accused and the status of the case was not brought to the notice of the zonal DCP.

“Crime branch officers on Saturday questioned the two senior police inspectors at the crime branch office and asked them the reasons for not taking any action against the two accused. Their statements have been recorded,” said a senior police officer.

Another police officer said that proper and timely action on the accused could have led the police to bust a major international gold smuggling racket, but no efforts were put in this direction despite the accused having a link to the underworld.The two officers were also asked if they were following orders from any senior police officer.

“If the cops are found indulging in any wrongdoings, they may be subjected to departmental action,” a source said.

Parveen and Maharaj were recently arrested for allegedly aiding another gangster, Ejaz Lakdawala, in an extortion case. The duo had allegedly threatened a south-Mumbai businessman in 2013 to pay ₹2 crore. Lakdawala was arrested from Bihar on January 8.