Param Bir Singh extortion case: 2 accused Mumbai cops sent to 14 days judicial custody

Param Bir Singh. File Pic

A court remanded two Mumbai police officers, arrested in connection with an extortion case registered at the Marine Drive police station here, to 14-day judicial custody.

The court rejected the police plea seeking extension of the duo's custody in the case in which former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh is also an accused.

The two arrested officers, inspectors Nandkumar Gopale and Asha Korke, were previously posted in the Mumbai crime branch. The duo was arrested last week on the basis of an extortion complaint filed by real estate developer Shyamsunder Agrawal at the Marine Drive police station in July.

The accused were produced before additional chief metropolitan magistrate RM Nerlikar at the end of their earlier police custody. The police prayed for further custody of the accused on the ground they have lead about the duo receiving Rs 50 lakh in extortion money. The probe agency said they are gathering forensic evidence and since Gopale and Korke were not cooperating in the investigation, their further custody was required to get to the root of the matter.

However, advocate Aniket Nikkam, appearing of Gopale, opposed the remand extension plea, arguing custody is not meant for extraction of information from an accused. He submitted that the accused has been in police custody for the last seven days and an extension of remand was not required.

The application for extension of police custody was also opposed by Korke's lawyer. The court, after hearing arguments of both sides, rejected the remand extension plea and sent the duo to jail under judicial custody. The FIR in the case has named Param Bir Singh and seven others, including five Mumbai police officers, as accused.

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The five cops named in the FIR are DCP (crime branch) Akbar Pathan, Assistant Commissioner of Police Shrikant Shinde, ACP Sanjay Patil, the arrested duo Korke and Gopale. During the investigation, the police had arrested Agarwal's former business partner Sanjay Punamia and his associate Sunil Jain in the case. They are currently out of bail.

As per the FIR, Agrawal has alleged that based on a "false" case, Param Bir Singh and other police officers had extorted money from him at the behest of Punamia.

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