Another letter accuses Param Bir Singh of corruption

Another letter containing allegations of corruption against senior Maharashtra IPS officer Param Bir Singh surfaced on Monday.

The letter, written to the Maharashtra DGP by one Sonu Jalan, who has faced allegations of running a large-scale betting racket, alleged that Singh along with a few other officers had taken Rs 3.45 crore from him. Sources said the matter has been referred to the state CID.

Earlier, inspectors Anup Dange and Bhimrao Ghadge had given written complaints based on which an enquiry and an FIR, respectively, were registered against Singh.

Jalan has alleged that Singh has a “modus operandi” of posting controversial officers like Pradeep Sharma and Sachin Waze in important investigation units like Anti Extortion Cell and Crime Intelligence Unit. While Sharma was questioned by the NIA in the Ambani terror scare case, Waze was placed under arrest in the same case.

Jalan, who faces several FIRs himself, alleged that these officers then extort money by registering false cases against innocent people. Jalan alleged that in his case, the then Thane Anti Extortion Cell officer Pradeep Sharma asked him for Rs 45 lakh to not discharge him from a betting case registered against him.

He alleged that in another case, Sharma and other officers had demanded Rs 10 crore from him in Singh’s cabin. Eventually the matter was settled at Rs 3 crore, the letter alleged.

A senior officer said that several such complaints are addressed to the Maharashtra police on a daily basis. In this case, the complaint was referred to the state CID.

While Singh did not respond to calls and messages, former police officer-turned-politician Pradeep Sharma said that since the Thane police had gone to court against Jalan’s bail, hence he was making these allegations. “He himself has 8-10 cases against him and since he is cornered, he is making these allegations to save himself,” Sharma told The Indian Express.