Ex-Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh lays claim on Anil Deshmukh in Rs 100 cr collection
Ex-Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh lays claim on Anil Deshmukh in Rs 100 cr collection
Former Mumbai Police Chief Param Bir Singh made allegations on Monday that former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh informed him that money collected through extortion and other methods was handed over to Jayant Patil, who as per the former Mumbai Police Chief managed the funds for the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
In an interview with the media, Singh claimed that Deshmukh had set a Rs 100 crore “collection target” for his officers in Mumbai and he also alleged that plans were afoot by Deshmukh to target key opposition leaders, including current Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.
Singh further revealed to the media that Rs 100 crore collection target was for Mumbai city for which his officers were pressured. The target for the rest of the state was different.
Singh also went on to claim that those who called were people in contact with Deshmukh and his son (Salil). There must be a big target, and he doesn’t want to speculate, the money coming from illicit activities was different too.
Param Bir Singh, who earlier accused Anil Deshmukh of extorting money from bars in Mumbai through dismissed cop Sachin Vaze, now alleges that Deshmukh’s son used to call officers to collect money for their postings.
He further alleged that there used to be negotiations at a hotel in western suburbs. Anil Deshmukh himself had told him two to three times that the collected money went to Jayant Patil who looked after the party funds.
Jayant Patil was the water resources minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government and also served as the Maharashtra unit chief of the undivided NCP.
Singh also claimed that amidst his time as Mumbai police chief from February 2020 to March 2021, Deshmukh and other MVA leaders aimed to target certain opposition leaders.
Adding further that regular meetings in this regard were held at the official bungalow of Anil Deshmukh, where ex-MLA Anil Gote, public prosecutor Pravin Chavan and he himself were present, he claimed. At one such meeting, Gote and Chavan brought with them three to four complainants and they wanted cases to be registered against BJP MLA Jaykumar Rawal and former minister Girish Mahajan.
He went through the complaints and said no cases can be made out and refused (to take the matter forward). Another meeting was held at ‘Silver Oak’, the south Mumbai home of Sharad Pawar, where apart from the senior Pawar, Anil Deshmukh, Gote, Pravin Chavan were present. Again the same discussion took place and pressure was brought, (but) I clearly said no cases were made out (against the two BJP leaders).
A separate meeting reportedly, was held at then-CM Uddhav Thackeray’s bungalow to register a case against (BJP leader) Pravin Darekar. Anil Deshmukh was also present. They wanted him to arrest Darekar in the Mumbai District Central Co-operative Bank case related to alleged irregularities.
Anil Deshmukh’s son, Salil, responded to Param Bir Singh, saying, “Where have you been all this time? You’re just following a script from the BJP and Devendra Fadnavis. It won’t change anything; you’ll still be arrested by the NIA, no matter how much you try to please the BJP.”
News Edit K.V.Raman
