Former Thane and Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh appeared at Thane nagar police station last week to record his statement in an extortion case registered against him and 28 others. In a related development, the chief judicial magistrate R J Tambe cancelled the non-bailable warrant issued against Singh in this case on October 26. Singh had gone on leave six months ago and had subsequently absconded before landing in Mumbai. He gave his statement to the Kandivili crime branch in connection with another extortion case.
Singh came to the Thane nagar police station to record his statement with the SIT which is headed by DCP Avinash Ambure. The FIR in the case was registered based on a complaint by 54-year-old Ketan Tanna, a bookie. Tanna alleged that when Singh was Thane police commissioner between January 2018 and February 2019, the accused extorted £125,000 from him by summoning him to the office of the Anti-Extortion Cell and threatening to frame him in serious criminal cases. The accused also extorted over £300,000 from his friend and alleged bookie Sonu Jalan in the same way, he alleged.
Policemen were deployed at the periphery of the police station as the tehsil office and other government offices have a common entry to the complex. Since May, Singh had not reported to work after he was shunted out in March from the post of Mumbai police commissioner in the wake of his allegations of corruption against former home minister Anil Deshmukh. Subsequently, criminal cases were registered against him in Thane and Mumbai.
A police source said Singh appeared calm and confident with the SIT that has been formed to probe the case registered against him and 28 others, including former cop Pradeep Sharma, DCP Deepak Deoraj, inspector Rajkumar Kothmire and alleged ‘collection agent’ Vikas Dabhade.
Singh went to the Thane court and through his legal team moved an application to cancel the non-bailable warrant issued against him by the chief judicial magistrate R J Tambe on October 26. The court cancelled his non-bailable warrant on certain conditions, which include Rs 15,000 as surety, among other conditions.
After that, he came back to Thane nagar police station at around 4 pm and was there till 7 pm.
Advocate Rajendra Mokashi, counsel for Singh said, “Singh could not present himself in the court due to health reasons, but hereafter he shall remain present whenever summoned. The court, while cancelling his non-bailable warrant, told him to remain present whenever his presence is required for further investigations.”
