Anil Deshmukh calls Param Bir Singh 'mastermind' of Antilia bomb scare case

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in his statement to the Enforcement Directorate ED has claimed exMumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh was the mastermind of the last years bomb scare near industrialist Mukesh Ambanis residence Antilia in Mumbai and subsequent murder of Thane businessman Mansukh HiranDeshmukhs claim is part of the EDs supplementary chargesheet in a money laundering case in which the senior NCP leader and his two sons have been named as accused The supplementary chargesheet was filed in a Mumbai court in December last year The NCP leader in the statement to the ED denied knowing former Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze who is an accused in the bomb scareHiran murder caseResponding to a question the former state minister said days after the twin incidents in FebruaryMarch last year Singh was called for a briefing at Vidhan Bhawan state secretariat in south Mumbai according to the chargesheet I state that on March 5 2021 when the assembly session was going on Singh was called for a briefing on this matter in Vidhan Bhawan where I as state home minister and senior officers of home department were presentDuring the briefing Singh was found giving misleading replies with regard to the two incidents Antilia Gelatine Case and Hiran murder the document quoted Deshmukh as saying Referring to another meeting at Varsha bungalow where chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was also present Deshmukh said It was again found that Singh was giving misleading replies and trying to hide the truthThereafter on March 17 2021 CM and me as state home minister took a decision to remove Singh from the post of Mumbai police commissioner with immediate effect as I found him mastermind in the aforesaid matters as he was hiding the truth Deshmukh claimed in his statement to the EDReferring to a letter written to the CM by Singh Deshmukh said the missive in which he had levelled false allegations against him was in retaliation to the IPS officers removal from the post of police commissioner The 71yearold politician reiterated that corruption allegations levelled against him by Singh now suspended by the state government in the letter were falseThe senior NCP leader said he resigned from the state cabinet in April 2021 on moral grounds after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary enquiry into the graft allegations Days after he was shunted out as Mumbai police commissioner and transferred to the Home Guards in March last year Singh in the letter to Thackeray had claimed Deshmukh used to ask police officers to collect money from restaurant and bar owners in the metropolis Responding to a question on Waze who too has made several allegations against him the politician denied knowing the dismissed cop There are approximately 10000 assistant police inspectors in Maharashtra state Specifically I do not know Waze he saidHowever I came to know about him when his name cropped up in famous Antilla Case and murder of Shri Mansukh Hiran Case Deshmukh said according to the chargesheet Earlier in a statement before the ED Waze had alleged that Deshmukh had asked him to collect money from pub and hotel owners in Mumbai a charge denied by the former minister The dismissed cop had also claimed that Deshmukh used to give instructions in highprofile investigationsWaze had alleged that during a meeting held in October 2020 at Deshmukhs residence Dyneshwari here the NCP leader gave him a list of 1750 bars and restaurants and asked him to collect Rs 3 lakh each from these establishments for granting various favours However Deshmukh in his statement to the ED has denied giving instructions for collecting money from bars and restaurantsDeshmukh has also denied giving any direction to police officers as the home minister of the state The NCP leader is currently in judicial custody following his arrest last year in the money laundering case being probed by the ED The ED case of money laundering against Deshmukh and others came after the CBI booked him in the corruption case related to allegations of bribe made by Singh Waze too is in judicial custody after being arrested in the bomb scareHiran case The NIA is probing the case related to the recovery of a Scorpio SUV packed with gelatin sticks and parked near Mukesh Ambanis residence in February 2021This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever