In a major relief for former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and DCP Parag Manere, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a closure report in an extortion case filed by MCOCA accused Sharad Muralidhar Agrawal, during the MVA regime. The CBI had filed a closure report in the chief judicial magistrate court of Thane last week, thereby exonerating Param Bir Singh and Parag Manere of the allegations filed by Agrawal with the Thane and Mumbai Police.
The closure report details the extensive probe conducted under the various IPC sections and all the allegations were found lacking in corroborative evidence and found to be relying only on oral statements by the complainant. The report further states the absence of independent witnesses to support the allegation of extortion and a lapse of five years in the filing of the complaint, thereby raising doubts about the timing and motive of the complainant.
Details of Closure report
As per the closure report, “The allegations made by the complainant are not corroborated by any independent evidence and the complaint was filed after almost five years of occurrence and the complainant could not give any exact date, time or place of meetings in Thane for the delivery of the said money. The facts and circumstances do not substantiate the allegations or disclose any incriminating evidence to launch a prosecution against any of the mentioned accused.”
Agrawal had filed an extortion case against Param Bir Singh, Parag Manere, builder Sanjay Punamiya and others, at Kopri Police Station, Thane, in July 2021, alleging they had demanded Rs 9 crore for the settlement of a property dispute.
Case transferred to CBI
The case was transferred to the CBI after Param Bir Singh filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court, alleging a witch-hunt by the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government for exposing the then home minister, Anil Deshmukh, for corruption. CBI investigation revealed that the property dispute between Agrawal and Punamiya was civil in nature and the extortion cases were registered almost five years later, to exert pressure for settlement. An identical extortion case was filed at Mumbai Police Marine Drive by Murlidhar Agrawal’s nephew, Shyamsunder Agrawal. The probe report emphasised that there was no police coercion for a settlement in the property dispute between Agrawal and Punamiya.
