Mumbai Police Crime Branch intensifies extortion case filed against ex-CP Param Bir Singh

As former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh continues to remain absconding, the Mumbai Crime Branch will give the former top cop one more chance to present himself before the police with the relevant documents in connection with an extortion case.

According to the Crime Branch sources, so far 12 witnesses' videography statements have been recorded by the Crime Branch Unit-11, DCB, CID office in Kandivali, Mumbai. Post which, a Notice of appearance has been sent to Param Bir Singh, directing him to appear before the police officer to record his testimony with documents related to the case on October 12, at 11 AM. Param Bir Singh failed to appear before the Mumbai Police, and no communication was made by Singh or his legal team regarding his non-appearance. 

Sources within the Crime Branch also revealed that the witnesses in their statements have revealed that suspended Mumbai Cop Sachin Vaze used to address Param Bir Singh as “Number One”.

As Param Bir Singh did not turn up before the police, Crime Branch officials decided to connect with Senior officials for further course of action against Singh. The Crime Branch will also issue another summons to Param Bir Singh, as the last chance, directing him to appear before the police. 

On October 9, a copy of four notices, issued by unit-11 of the crime branch, has also been pasted on the door of Singh's official residence at Nilima Building in Malabar Hill, Singh's private residence in Vile Parle. A team of police officials have gone to Chandigarh to serve the notice at his native place and lastly, a notice has been emailed to the two email IDs of the ex-Mumbai CP. 

The case concerns a complaint lodged by private contractor Bimal Agarwal who had alleged that Singh along with dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze had threatened him and extorted monthly payments from January 2020 till March 2021 for “letting him run his hotels in Goregaon and Andheri without any police hassles.” In order to meet their extortion demand, Agarwal claimed that he had paid a sum of Rs 9 lakh in cash along with giving them two Samsung Fold-2 mobile phones worth ₹2,12,000. The contractor had further alleged that the accused persons had extorted money from other hotel owners and bookies in Mumbai.

The case was originally registered by the Goregaon police but was later transferred to the Crime Branch.

Image: PTI