Param Bir Singh now officially an ‘absconding offender’

Param Bir Singh has been booked in multiple extortion cases and is also a prime suspect in Antilia explosives scare and Mansukh Hiran murder cases. File pic

Former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh has now been declared proclaimed offender by the 37th magistrate court. With this, Singh is now officially a wanted accused and absconder.

The declaration came on Wednesday based on a proclamation application of the Mumbai Police's crime branch in connection with a Goregaon extortion case, in which dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin Waze was recently arrested by the crime Branch.

Apart from Singh, two other accused - Vinay Singh and Riyaz Bhati - also have been declared proclaimed offenders after the crime branch approached the court on Saturday (November 13) saying they could not be traced.

Singh and the two others have been declared absconding in an extortion case lodged with Goregaon police in which Bimal Agarwal, a hotelier, alleged that Waze extorted money from him on behalf of Singh. Agarwal has also submitted some audio recordings to the police.

"The court has allowed the proclamation application of the crime branch. Now, he is officially an absconder in the case," said public prosecutor Shekhar Jagtap.
The crime branch had earlier issued multiple summons to Singh at all his available addresses, but the former top cop did not respond. Police officers also visited his residences in Rohtak and Chandigarh to hand him the summons, but he was not present.

Cops are now going to seek details of all his assets from the home department to start the process of attaching his properties. "As per legal process, he has 30 days' time to respond as the order of the court will be pasted outside his residence and an advertisement will also be given in newspapers. If he still does not appear, we can initiate the process of attaching his properties," said a police officer.

The crime branch also suspects that Singh has some benami properties and will investigate this angle. It will also take legal opinion on properties belonging to Singh's family members.
Cops are also going to initiate a process of issuing a red corner notice against Singh as there are speculations that he may have fled the country.

Singh has been booked by the Maharashtra Police in multiple extortion cases and he is also a prime suspect in the Antilia explosives scare and Mansukh Hiran murder cases.

13 November
Day when crime branch approached court