A city magistrate court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Param Bir Singh in an extortion case. It’s the third such warrant to be issued by different courts in various cases against the former Mumbai police commissioner.
The present case is based on a complaint lodged in Marine Drive police station by a developer, Sham Sunder Agarwal. Five other police persons and two civilians were named co-accused. The state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which took over the case along with other cases against Singh, had recently arrested two police inspector rank officers in the case. Agarwal had complained that at the behest of a civilian, Sanjay Punamia, the police officers had booked him in 18 cases and extorted money from him by threatening arrest.
Seeking that the NBW be issued against Singh, special public prosecutor Shekhar Jagtap argued on Wednesday that attempts were made to reach Singh at his official residence as well as his Chandigarh residence, which was his last known location, but that he could not be found. He also told the court that in other cases, too, courts have issued NBWs against him. Further, the court was informed that the state intends to declare Singh an absconding accused and hence warrants would need to be issued for the purpose. Additional chief metropolitan magistrate RM Nerlikar issued the warrant against Singh.
Last month, another magistrate had issued an NBW against Singh in yet another extortion case. This was in a case registered at Goregaon police station by a builder-hotelier. A week prior to that, a Thane court had issued an NBW against him.