Thane: Sharad Agarwal, the nephew of real estate developer Shyam Agarwal, filed an FIR against former Thane and Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, then deputy commissioner of police (crime) Parag Manere and three others at Kopri police station in Thane on Friday. Shyam Agarwal had filed a case of cheating and extortion against Singh and five other police officers at Marine Drive police station on Thursday.
Sharad Agarwal in his complaint has claimed that the officers had extorted Rs 9 crore from him by threatening into invoke MCOCA sections against his uncle Shyam Agarwal, and for helping to get bail for his uncle.
Sharad, in his statement to police, said that in 2011 Sanjay Punamia and Agarwal were business partners. Later they had a dispute and to take revenge Punamia filed a complaint against Agarwal in 2016 at Thane Nagar police station.
At that time Singh was the Thane police commissioner and Manare was DCP (Crime) in Thane. "After the case was registered Shyam was arrested and was in custody. Meanwhile, the police officials were in touch with Sharad. They demanded Rs 20 crore or threatened to file a case under MCOCA act. Later, they took Rs 1 crore as cash and took over the property of Agarwal costing Rs 8 crore. Punamia took over the property paper claiming it for Parambir Singh. It was a complete case if ransom to release Agarwal on bail and not invoke MCOCA," said Shekar Jagtap, advocate presenting Agarwal family.
"Sharad was also detained for a day and harassed. The accused took Rs1 crore cash. Manoj Ghotkar was the person who was in-between the deal for them and took the cash on behalf of them," added Jagtap.
Jagtap further said that the case was registered under section A 109, 110, 111, 113, 120 (B), 166, 177, 203, 323, 504, 342, 384, 385, 388, 389, 420, 364 (A), 34 of the Indian penal code.
