CBI grills Ex-Mumbai top cops Parambir Singh, Sanjay Pandey in corruption case
The CBI questioned former Mumbai Police Commissioners Parambir Singh and Sanjay Pandey on Monday in connection with a Rs 100 crore extortion case filed against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and his two personal secretaries, Sanjeev Palande and Kundan Shinde.
The CBI interrogated both former top Mumbai police officers for six hours. The CBI has also recorded statements that may be utilised in the supplementary charge-sheet.
On March 20, 2021, Param Bir Singh levelled ‘extortion’ charges against the NCP leader. The ex-Mumbai top cop claimed in a letter to then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that Deshmukh had asked now-suspended Assistance Police Inspector Sachin Vaze to extort Rs 100 crores per month from 1,750 Mumbai pubs, restaurants, and other establishments.
The agency has booked Deshmukh and unidentified others under the Indian Penal Code sections concerning criminal conspiracy and section of the Prevention of Corruption Act for “attempt to obtain undue advantage for the improper and dishonest performance of public duty”.
In an inquiry conducted by the CBI, it was found that Waze, an assistant police inspector with the Mumbai Police who was later arrested by the NIA, was reinstated into the police force after being out of service for over 15 years.
The FIR alleged that Waze was entrusted with the most sensational and important cases of the Mumbai City Police and that the-then home minister Deshmukh was aware of this. It also claimed that Anil Deshmukh “and others” exerted undue influence over the transfer and posting of officials.
“The Preliminary Enquiry prima facie revealed that a cognizable offence is made out in the matter, wherein the then Home Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Anil Deshmukh and unknown others have attempted to obtain undue advantage for the improper and dishonest performance of their public duty,” claimed the CBI FIR.
Sanjay Pandey, who retired on June 30, is facing two CBI FIRs: illegal interception of NSE workers’ phones by his company, iSec Services Private Ltd, and violation of SEBI standards while performing NSE’s system audit.
It further alleged that NSE top offices issued work orders in favour of iSec Services represented by Sanjay Pandey and illegally intercepted calls by installing an illegal machine in contravention of provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act. iSec allegedly tapped the phones of 91 NSE employees.
The CBI also questioned journalist Sucheta Dalal for eight hours in the phone tapping case. She was allegedly asked if she introduced Sanjay Pandey to Ravi Narain.