Param Bir Singh reaches Mumbai to join probe
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Thursday arrived in Mumbai to appear before the crime branch, which is probing an extortion case against him. "I will join the investigation as directed by the court," Singh told reporters soon after his arrival. The development comes after the Supreme Court on Monday granted him protection from arrest and asked him to join the probe.
- Singh was declared "absconding" by a Mumbai court, with media reports suggesting he had left India.
- However, Singh Monday told the SC he was in India and "faces a threat to his life."
- His Thursday appearance was the first since he disappeared from public view in October.
- Notably, Singh faces four police cases and two preliminary inquiries by the Maharashtra government on extortion charges.
A Mumbai Police official said Singh had arrived in Mumbai from Chandigarh. He appeared before the Mumbai Police crime branch unit-11 and is soon going to record his statement in connection with an extortion case registered at Goregaon police station, the official added.
On Wednesday, the former top cop had told news channels that he was in Chandigarh and would join the investigation in cases against him soon in Mumbai. Singh had reportedly also appeared on the Telegram app Wednesday evening but later deleted his account from the app, NDTV reported. These developments came after the SC granted him protection from arrest on Monday.
On Monday, Singh's counsel had informed the SC that his client is "very much in India but apprehends actions being taken by the state of Maharashtra." He had also expressed his willingness to join the probe but sought protection from arrest. Following this, the court granted Singh protection from arrest and directed him to join the probe.
Following the court's order, notices were issued, directing Singh to appear before the investigating officer within 30 days. The notices were reportedly pasted outside Singh's known addresses and printed in newspapers. "If he had failed to do so, the investigators could have started the process of attaching Singh's properties," an officer told The Indian Express.
Singh has not reported to work since May this year following his transfer from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner. He was transferred as the Director General (Home Guards) following the Ambani terror scare case and his allegations of corruption against the then Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Singh had accused Deshmukh of extorting money from bars, restaurants, and hookah parlors in Mumbai.
The corruption charges leveled by Singh against Deshmukh had also led to the latter's resignation from the post of Home Minister. Singh had alleged that Deshmukh asked officials to collect Rs. 100 crore every month through illegal means. Notably, Deshmukh is currently in judicial custody.
