Sachin Waze used transfer threat to force juniors into extortion: Mumbai Police

Dismissed cop Sachin Waze

Dismissed Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Waze used threats of job loss and transfer to force his juniors into extortion, states the 1,895-page charge sheet filed by the Mumbai Crime Branch. According to the statements of police officers and constables, Waze allegedly used his contact with the then city police chief Param Bir Singh to make them get details of bar owners, bookies and other illegal businesses.

Waze had the protection of the then Mumbai commissioner of police (CP) Param Bir Singh, according to dozens of statements of serving police officers and constables in the charge sheet. In his statement, a police constable, who is currently associated with the Crime Branch, narrated how Waze forced him to collect information of bars and other illegal businesses. "After his reinstatement in June 2020, Waze started collecting details of bars and other illegal businesses in the city during the lockdown period."

Sachin Waze and Param Bir Singh

Waze utilised the extraordinary power given to him by Singh and used all resources of Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of Mumbai Crime Branch to extort money in most of the high profile cases he was handling, according to the statement. "In December 2020, after bars and restaurants started functioning with little restrictions, Waze started collecting money for the then CP. The hoteliers had told me then," the police constable said. "He was also using some constables and private persons to pass on his messages, collect information and rotate his money. There were talks that he was very close to Param Bir Singh and he would threaten people to work for him," the constable's statement read further.

The constable said that he has been with the force since 1990 and has a very good network of informers in the west and north regions of Mumbai police jurisdiction. "Someone informed Waze about my network and he called me to his office in December 2020. He asked me to provide details of illegal businesses in the north and west regions of the city. When I refused, Waze asked whether I wanted to stay in the department... He said to me, ‘SS Branch works under me. I get instructions directly from no. 1 and I don't talk to any other officer. If you don't help me then you're going to face dire consequences'. I requested him to not drag me into this, but he threatened to take away my job and told me to do as he says - to collect packets from hotels whenever he says. I got scared and helped him a little, and also provided him with the details of bars and other illegal businesses in the city."

Another police constable, in his statement, stated that Waze used similar tactics with him and one of his friends who is also in the department. "Since December 2020, he started collecting money from bar owners for ‘number 01' and he used many constables and private people to act as per his directions by threatening them with dire consequences. He threatened one of my colleagues, who is also a police constable. Waze asked him whether he wants to stay in the department. Through one of my friends, he sent me a message, asking me to collect a sealed envelope from a man named Aniket Patel in Worli. I went to Worli and collected it and later handed it over to Waze."

The charge sheet has various statements of officers of assistant commissioner of police and police inspector ranks who have confirmed that Waze used to refer to Singh as no. 1. A statement of a dismissed inspector and an accused in the Antilia threat and Mansukh murder cases said that Waze would refer to Singh as ‘King' which was also the former CP's name on his mobile phone.