A Mumbai magistrate court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant against former city police commissioner Param Bir Singh in connection with an extortion case registered by the Marine Drive police, PTI reported.
The Marine Drive police had registered the extortion case against Singh on July 22 based on a complaint from real estate developer Shyamsunder Agarwal. The Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department is conducting an inquiry in the case.
This is a third non-bailable warrant against Singh. Earlier, courts in Thane and Goregaon near Mumbai had issued warrants against Singh in different extortion cases.
Singh’s whereabouts have been unknown for a while now. Earlier this month, the Maharashtra government had told the Bombay High Court that he was not traceable. There is speculation that Singh might have fled India.
The first information report filed by the Marine Drive police names Singh and seven others, including five police officers, PTI reported.
Two of the accused, inspectors Nandkumar Gopale and Asha Korke, were arrested on Monday. They were sent to the Criminal Investigation Department’s custody for seven days.
Meanwhile, the investigation agency will also conduct an inquiry into a case registered against complainant Shyamsundar Agarwal by the Juhu police station. He has been accused of having links with gangster Chhota Shakeel.
Allegations against Singh
The Thane Police had registered five FIRs under the Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribe (Atrocities Prevention) Act, the Civil Rights Protection Act and the Maharashtra Police Act against Singh and 32 others based on a complaint from Police Inspector Bhimrao Ghadge.
Ghadge had alleged that Singh, while he was posted as the Thane police chief in 2015, had asked him not to chargesheet certain persons against whom FIRs had been registered. Ghadge also alleged that he was suspended for refusing to follow Singh’s orders.
He had subsequently approached the State Human Rights Commission against Singh but was not granted relief. In 2018, he approached the Bombay High Court.
In response, Singh had said that the Maharashtra government was pursuing the cases to pressure him into withdrawing his corruption allegations against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
Singh had accused Deshmukh of extorting money from owners of bars, restaurants and hookah parlours in Mumbai. In April, the Bombay High Court had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations.
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