Dismissed policeman Sachin Vaze made false allegations against state transport minister and Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab in a letter addressed to court in April regarding being asked by the minister to collect money from BMC contractors. Vaze was making collections with the permission of former city police chief Param Bir Singh, the complainant in an extortion case involving Singh, has said this in his statement to the crime branch that forms part of the chargesheet.
The crime branch had filed the chargesheet against Singh, Vaze and two others early this month. In April, during remand proceedings Vaze had tried to tender a letter before a special court. In the letter, he had made grave allegations of corruption against Parab, former state home minister Anil Deshmukh and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
In the specific allegation against Parab on collection from BMC contractors, Vaze had said that Parab had called him to his official bungalow in January this year and asked him to look into fraudulent contractors listed in the BMC and to collect at least Rs. 2 crores from 50 such contractors.
Bimal Agarwal, the complainant, has said that he was acquainted with Vaze from many years and that Vaze had sought information from him on the contractors knowing that he also took with BMC contracts and tenders. He had called Agarwal to his CIU office on Feb 12 seeking help, Agarwal said. When he had asked Vaze why he needed the information, Vaze had told him in a friendly manner that his No. 1’s attention was everywhere.
Agarwal said he had provided the required help. Vaze had then told him that there were positive results regarding the matter and that he had told the informed No. 1 about it. The businessman said that just to confirm he had asked Vaze whom he had informed and he said he had informed the CP.
After Vaze’s arrest in the Antilia - Mansukh Hiran case the following month, he said he learnt about a letter Vaze had written to court where he had made allegations against minister Anil Parab. “The truth is, Vaze had collected information about BMC contractors from me and had tried to make collections from the contractors with No. 1, that is, the CP Mumbai’s permission.” he said. He added that he did not understand why Vaze was making such false allegations against Parab.
In an affidavit before the state-appointed Chandiwal Commission that is probing allegations against Deshmukh made by Singh in his letter to the CM, too, Agarwal had made identical submissions. Referring to Singh’s letter to the CM as well as Vaze’s before court, he had said in his affidavit that these were a vindictive act of both against the state government.
Bimal Agarwal, the complainant, had alleged in his FIR lodged at Goregaon police station that he was extorted by Vaze in connivance with Singh and others of Rs. 11.92 lakhs for letting him smoothly run his resto-bars in the city’s western suburbs.
