In an embarrassing yet startling development, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has gone missing and is presumed to have fled the country.
The former Mumbai police commissioner was handling the bomb scare near the home of India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani earlier this year but at the same time questions were being asked with regards to a series of extortion cases.
According to Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil who said, “Along with the Union Home Ministry, we’re also searching for his whereabouts. I’ve heard something like that but as a government officer, he can’t go abroad without government clearance. We’ve issued a Lookout Circular and if he went away, then it is not good,”.
“Whether it is a minister, officer, or Chief Minister, there are limitations and without the permission of the government of India one cannot go outside the country. No one can cross these limitations. What action can be taken will have to be discussed with the centre. Maharashtra government is looking for him and once he is found we will decide,” the Home Minister added.
On February 25 an SUV was found parked near with gelatin sticks in Carmichael Road, near the residence of Mukesh Ambani. The car belonged to one Mansukh Hiren whose body was later found in the Kalwa creek in Thane and postmortem confirmed it was a case of murder.
Already, notorious Mumbai police officer, Sachin Waze, known as an encounter specialist has been named as the prime conspirator in the case of planting the explosives and the subsequent murder of Mansukh Hiren.
Waze who was suspended from the police force for years was known to be close to Param Bir Singh and despite being just an Assistant Police Inspector he had direct access to him.
In March, the National Investigation Agency (NIA). arrested Waze but the NIA chargesheet did not name Param Bir Singh as an accused but there are now several revelations in the chargesheet that simply could not be overlooked.
After too much pressure, Singh was transferred to the Home Guard department, and later he made sensational accusations against then state home minister Anil Deshmukh of asking police officers to collect bribes from hotel and bar owners. This created a massive political uproar in the state.
Subsequently, Deshmukh had to step down from his post as the CBI registered a case against him and till date, Deshmukh has also not responded to summons by the Enforcement Directorate which is probing money-laundering allegations against him.
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