On Saturday, the Mumbai Police crime branch issued a notice to former police commissioner Param Bir Singh in connection with an extortion case registered against him. The notice pasted outside his residence has sought his appearance before it for questioning on October 12.
The case concerns a complaint lodged by 48-year-old Bimal Agarwal, a developer and private contractor. It is alleged that dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze, in connivance with Singh and others, had extorted cash and two high-end mobile phones worth Rs 11.92 lakh from Agarwal. Agarwal claimed that the incident took place between February 2020 and March 2021. They took the money and phones to allow his resto-bars in Western Suburbs to function smoothly.
Based on Agarwal’s complaint, the Goregaon police had registered an offence of extortion under the sections of the Indian Penal Code against Singh, Vaze and four others. In all, five FIRs were registered in which Singh was named one of the conspirators; three cases have been transferred to the State CID for further investigation.
Apart from this, Singh is also facing two open enquiries from the Anti-Corruption Bureau. One investigation is based on the complaint filed by inspector Bhimrao Ghadge. He had accused Singh of corruption and taking money for postings of senior inspectors.
Ghadge’s statement was recorded by ACB officials last week.
The ACB is also conducting a separate enquiry against Singh on the complaint of police inspector Anup Dange, who had alleged that Singh had demanded money for reinstating him through a relative, when he was suspended.
