CBI files closure report in extortion case against ex-CP Parambir Singh

Thane (Maharashtra): The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a closure report in an eight-year-old extortion case involving the former Thane and Mumbai Commissioner of Police Parambir H. Singh and others.

The CBI closure report, signed by CBI’s Additional SP, New Delhi R.L. Yadav was submitted to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Thane Court, on December 30, 2023.

The probe agency has provided a detailed report of its deep investigations into the case, plus all the documentary evidence and list of 23 witnesses therein as part of the closure report.

“The above discussed facts and circumstances do not substantiate the allegations or disclose any incriminating evidence for launching prosecution against any of the accused persons. Therefore, Closure Report is being submitted before this Hon’ble Court,” said the CBI.

The report also said that “the allegations made against Parambir Singh were found to lack corroborative evidence, relying solely on the oral statement of the complainant.”

According to the FIR, the alleged crimes took place between November 2016-May 2018 in which a Mumbai-based builder, his associates and two police officers – DCP Parag S. Manere and CP Parambir H. Singh – were allegedly involved in the purported extortion.

Besides the two senior police officers, the others named in the FIR were Sanjay Mishrimal Punamiya, Sunil Mangilal Jain and Manoj Ramu Ghotkar.

In the complaint lodged by Sharad Agrawal, his uncle Shyamsunder Agrawal was arrested in an alleged Urban Land Ceiling Act scam case and the accused persons had connived to extort money of around Rs 9 crore from him, and a part of the money was paid up.

Shyamsunder Agrawal was a business partner with Punamiya in a realty development company, Tirupati Balaji and Rajaram Dev Enterprises, but owing to some dispute, their partnership ended.

Punamiya, along with his friend Milan Gandhi, had filed a complaint with Thane Police and Shyamsunder Agrawal was arrested in the ULC case of Bhayander town in Thane district.

Thereafter, Jain called up Sharad Agrawal, claimed that Punamiya is very close to the then CP Parambir H. Singh and asked him to fulfil their demands or face the consequences like proceedings under the dreaded MCOCA act and other cases.

A few days later, Sharad Agrawal and his brother Shubham Agrawal met Ghotkar who threatened them and advised them to arrive at a settlement with Punamiya and Singh.

He took them to meet Singh and later Manere also joined in and they made an alleged demand for Rs 20 crore from the Agrawals, but after negotiations it was reduced to Rs 9 crores.

Of this, Rs 1 crore was given to Ghotkar and then Shubham Agrawal was arrested allegedly on instructions of Singh leading to payment of another amount of Rs 1 crore to Punamiya.

The CBI closure report, while exonerating Singh, said that the allegations against Shyamsunder Agrawal on the ULC case were established and a chargesheet has been filed in the matter.

Even the role of Punamiya has come to the fore in the case, and he - along with Shyamsunder Agrawal - is facing a trial.

On Sharad Agrawal’s contentions that he had paid up Rs 1 crore to Ghotkar and another Rs 1 crore to Punamiya by taking cash loans from his relatives/friends, the CBI found that none of them stated that they had given the money for ‘paying police officials’.

Referring to several other subsequent developments and deals, the CBI said that there was no threat/coercion/pressure on the complainant for any settlement which he had not honoured, the incidents of 2016-2017 were reported in 2021, by which time the evidence to unravel the truth was not available.

The CBI also found nothing irregular in the property transaction/s involved as they were properly documented and there was no independent evidence to support Sharad Agrawal’s claims.