Thane cop accused by Cricket Bookies of extortion along with Param Bir Singh transferred

In the latest development, the Thane Police Commissioner has ordered the transfer of Inspector Rajkumar Kothmire - accused of extortion along with former Mumbai Police CP Param Bir Singh by a Cricket bookie - to Gadchiroli on Thursday. The development came after Republic accessed a letter penned by two bookies, Sonu Jalan and Ketan Tann, claimed that Param Bir Singh and his colleague & former encounter cop Pradeep Sharma had extorted them after falsely implicating them in betting cases. Jalan, an accused in the 2018 IPL betting racket, was arrested by then-Thane Commissioner Param Bir Singh in a Rs 45 lakh cricket betting case.

Cricket Bookie accuses Param Bir Singh

In his letter, Jalan claimed that he was asked to cough up Rs 10 crore by Param Bir Singh, Pradeep Sharma & Raj Kumar Kothmire. He added that after negotiation, a settlement was done at Rs 3 crore. He further accused Singh and Sharma of 'illegal activities' and 'extorting many by threatening and pressuring them' and implicating them in false cases if they failed to pay huge amounts. Similarly, another bookie Ketan Tanna, alleges that no steps were taken against corrupt police officers because Param Bir Singh was shielding them.

Maharashtra govt probes Param Bir Singh

The Maharashtra govt has ordered two probes into Param Bir Singh - one pertaining to the Antilia bomb scare case and the other in connection with the corruption allegations levelled by reinstated Police Inspector Anoop Dange. Claiming that Singh demanded Rs. 2 crore for revoking his suspension, Dange accused him of saving some people with underworld connections when he was the DG of the Anti Corruption Bureau. The Bombay HC has refused to grant the former Mumbai CP interim protection urging him to approach the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) with his grievances. The petition will now be heard on June 9. 

Param Bir Singh's allegations against Anil Deshmukh

The controversy came to the fore on February 20 when Param Bir Singh levelled serious 'extortion' charges against Anil Deshmukh. In a letter addressed to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Singh refuted Deshmukh's remarks that his transfer was due to serious lapses in the Antilia bomb scare case. Moreover, he alleged that the NCP leader had asked Sachin Vaze to extort Rs.100 crore per month from 1750 bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai. Sachin Vaze is the main accused in the Antilia bomb scare case.

After the SC directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary enquiry, Deshmukh stepped down as the Home Minister on moral grounds and was replaced by Dilip Walse Patil. On April 21, the CBI registered an FIR against the NCP leader and unknown individuals under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120 B of the Indian Penal Code. According to the FIR, the former Maharashtra Home Minister attempted to take undue advantage of public duty's improper and dishonest performance. Deshmukh has moved HC seeking quashing of the FIR but this has not transpired as yet.