Mumbai: CBI seeks info on a BMC contract in ex-CP Param Bir Singh, Sachin Waze case

MUMBAI: The CBI has asked the BMC for details of a contract it awarded to a private contractor, Swastik Construction, in one of the cases it is investigating against former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh and dismissed policeman Sachin Waze, along with others.
The CBI is also investigating if any politician is involved in the case. A CBI spokesperson did not comment on it.
The case was initially registered against them at Goregaon police station by controversial businessman Bimal Agrawal. It was transferred to the CBI along with other cases registered against Param Bir Singh in the state on the Supreme Court’s direction recently.
In the complaint, Agrawal had alleged he knew Waze for two decades. Last year, Waze allegedly asked Agrawal about BMC contractors for extortion. Agarwal claimed during their interaction, he enquired with Waze about his new interest in BMC contractors as earlier he was mainly focused on hotels and bookies and Waze replied he was doing it with the consent of his boss (then city police commissioner).
Waze specially inquired with Agrawal about Swastik Construction along with its owners Pritesh Godani and Sanjay Hirani. On Waze’s request, Agrawal had arranged a copy of a complaint registered against Swastik Construction at the local police station. One Allarakha had filed a complaint alleging fraud in civic work with the police and the BMC against Swastik Construction.
On Thursday, the CBI wrote to the BMC commissioner to provide a certified copy of the complaint and its outcome.
The CBI had registered a corruption case against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh on the direction of Bombay high court last year.
The case was based on a complaint written by Param Bir Singh after Deshmukh shunted him from police commissioner’s post following the Antilia bomb scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case controversy. Upset with his transfer, Singh wrote to the chief minister, alleging Deshmukh had asked Waze (then working with Mumbai police) to illegally collect Rs 100 crore from orchestra bar owners in the city every month for him. Subsequently, Deshmukh resigned and was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
NIA had arrested Waze in the bomb scare and Hiran murder case. Earlier, Waze had alleged state transport minister Anil Parab had asked him to extort money from BMC contractors.