Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
CBI raids premises linked to Deshmukh graft probe
NEW DELHI: Establishing “prime facie evidence” against him, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh for corruption and criminal conspiracy a month after former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh accused him of running an extortion racket in the city, people familiar with the developments said on Saturday.
The agency, as part of its formal probe, will investigate Deshmukh’s role in allegedly using the Mumbai Police for extortion from bars, hotels and restaurants as accused by former police commissioner Param Bir Singh, handing over all important cases to suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze, and influencing transfers and postings in the department.
Singh wrote a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in March and alleged Deshmukh asked Vaze to collect ₹100 crore monthly from bars, restaurants, hotels, and other sources in Mumbai. The letter was written after Singh was transferred for allegedly mismanaging an explosives scare outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house in February. Vaze has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the discovery of the explosives in a car outside Ambani’s residence and the alleged murder of a businessman, Mansukh Hiran, linked to the vehicle.
Four personal protective equipment-clad teams of CBI on Saturday carried out raids for 12 hours from 6am at Deshmukh’s two personal residences – one in Nagpur and another in Mumbai — his official residence in Mumbai and his personal assistant Sanjeev Palande’s premises. Deshmukh was present at his Nagpur residence when a CBI team was seizing his digital devices and documents while his daughter and son were present at his two residences in Mumbai respectively. An officer who didn’t want to be named said Deshmukh will be called for questioning very soon. Deshmukh has been named an accused along with “unknown others” in CBI’s First Information Report (FIR), registered on April 21 on the completion of its preliminary enquiry, which revealed that the then minister indeed attempted to obtain undue advantage using his position, according to the agency. The central agency has also alleged in its FIR, reviewed by HT, that Deshmukh was also aware of Vaze probing all key cases in Mumbai. “The PE prima facie revealed that a cognizable offence is made out in the matter, wherein Anil Deshmukh and unknown others have attempted to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of their public duty,” the FIR said.
“Enquiry has also revealed that Sachin Vaze had been reinstated into the police force after being out of the police service for more than 15 years. The enquiry further revealed that Vaze was entrusted with most of the sensational and important cases of the Mumbai Police and that the then home minister was in knowledge of the said fact,” it added.
The agency said that “petition of Param Bir Singh also finds mention of the fact that Deshmukh and others exercised undue influence over the transfer and posting of officials and thereby undue influence over the performance of official duties by the officials”.
Deshmukh did not respond to repeated calls and text messages for a comment.