Pandemic or not, criminals have been at it breaking the law with alacrity. But, there is no escaping the long arm of the law, like they say. Here’s what to expect from some of the city’s most eye-popping cases
Param Bir Singh
By Faizan Khan, Samiullah Khan, Diwakar Sharma, Vishal Singh, Shirish Vaktania
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Param Bir Singh
Former commissioner of Mumbai Police, Param Bir Singh has been suspended in connection with at least five extortion cases registered against him. In March last year, Singh wrote a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging that then home minister Anil Deshmukh had asked API Sachin Waze to extort R100 crore per month from bars and restaurants. Following this Deshmukh had to step down. All of this started after Singh faced an abrupt transfer to DG Home Guards after the Antilia bomb scare case. After the transfer, Singh went on leave citing health reasons and did not show up for nearly six months. The extortion cases were registered against him during these six months. He also did not respond to court orders and subsequently was declared a ‘proclaimed offender’. After getting relief from the SC, Singh appeared before court and started visiting police stations to show his cooperation in the matter.
What to expect: Investigations in all cases registered against him are underway
Sachin Waze
Former encounter specialist Sachin Waze, who was the CIU chief in the Mumbai Police crime branch, was initially given the charge to probe the Antilia bomb scare case. But after a few days of the investigation, the case was handed over to National Investigation Agency (NIA) and subsequently Waze was arrested. He was accused of planting the explosives-laden SUV near Antilia. Investigation revealed that the SUV belonged to businessman Mansukh Hiren, who had registered a theft complaint regarding his vehicle at the Vikhroli police station. Later, police recovered Hiran’s body under mysterious circumstances and Mumbra police registered an accidental death report. Waze was later dismissed from the force. The NIA has charge-sheeted a total of 10 accused in the Antilia case.
Aryan Khan
On October 3 last year, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drugs-on-cruise case. His arrest kicked up a controversy and many people started questioning NCB’s role in ‘targeting’ the star kid. Aryan was later sent to judicial remand and he was kept at the Arthur Road jail. Following an HC order, Aryan was released from jail but was asked to mark his attendance at the NCB office every Friday. After getting conditional bail from HC, Aryan once again approached the court to seek relief from the weekly attendance. Considering his request, the HC gave him relief in December last year, but Aryan has been asked to appear before the SIT in Delhi as and when summoned.
Cases up for trail this year
Anil Deshmukh
Anil Deshmukh had to resign as Maharashtra home minister in April last year following corruption allegations made in the letter bomb by former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh. Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Deshmukh in November in a multi-crore money laundering case. Before voluntarily appearing before ED on the day of his arrest, Deshmukh remained untraceable for four months. Currently he is in judicial custody. The CBI is also investigating the cash-for-transfer case against him. He was also served summons by the CBI for questioning, against which Deshmukh approached the HC. In December, the HC refused to quash the CBI summons.
Double murder
Hema Upadhyay-Haresh Bhambani
On December 12, 2015, the bodies of celebrated Mumbai-based artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Haresh Bhambani were found stuffed in cardboard boxes in a drain in Kandivli. Hema’s husband Chintan Upadhyay and one Vidyadhar Rajbhar are accused in the case.
Manjula Shetye custodial death
Manjula Shetye, a life convict, was allegedly assaulted by the staff of the Byculla jail on June 23, 2017. Six police personnel including jailor Manisha Pokharkar and five constables, were booked for assaulting Shetye because she had complained that her morning ration had no eggs and bread. All the accused are in jail.
Raj Kundra
The Mumbai Police arrested businessman Raj Kundra in July last year in connection with a case of production and streaming of porn videos. Police said initially he was called for questioning, but was later arrested, as he was not cooperating with the officers. To oppose his bail plea, the cops told the court that the investigation revealed that Kundra was controlling the HotShots app, which hosted blue films created by those accused in the case, through London-registered Kenrin Limited. The police said that the company belongs to Kundra’s brother-in-law, Pradeep Bakshi, who is now a wanted in the matter. Kundra is among 11 people arrested in the porn racket. His British citizenship created hurdles for him to get bail, but he was released on bail in September last year. The matter is currently being investigated.
TRP scam
Republic Media Network’s Chief Executive Officer Vikas Khanchandani was the latest person to be arrested in the TRP scam in 2020. Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh held a press conference on October 8, 2020 about unearthing a Television Rating Points (TRP) manipulation scam, where channels like Republic TV, Box Cinema and Fakt Marathi were involved. The channels were found paying households —that had bar-o-meters installed by BARC through Hansa Research Company — to watch certain channels. Crime Branch got a tip-off about one Vishal Bhandari paying R400 to R500 to each household to watch specific channels.
What to expect: Trial to begin this year
Drugs link to Sushant Singh Rajput death case
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) investigating the drug syndicate in Bollywood linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, is expected to file a charge sheet this year before the completion of the 180 days prescribed time limit in NDPS cases. The NCB has arrested 28 people in the case and claimed it has cracked the chain of the drug syndicate linked to Rajput after the arrest of main supplier Regal Mahakal on December 9, 2020.
Dr Payal Tadvi suicide case
Dr Payal Tadvi, a second year gynaecology student at Topiwala National Medical College, attached to Nair Hospital, committed suicide on May 22, 2019. Three seniors, Dr Ankita Khandelwal, Bhakti Mehare and Hema Ahuja, were arrested for abetment of suicide. The trial of the case is on, all the accused have secured bail.
What to expect: Final verdict this year
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