Missing former Mumbai top cop Singh finally shows up for questioning at city police office

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Former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh, who had gone missing since  May 4 after the city police launched investigation proceedings against him in cases of extortion, appeared for questioning at the Crime Branch office on Thursday morning.</p>
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"I will join the investigation as directed by the court," Singh told journalists at Mumbai airport after arriving on a flight from Chandigarh.</p>
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The Supreme Court had granted Singh protection from arrest on Monday but had asked him to face investigations into extortion charges levelled against him.</p>
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The apex had wanted to know about the whereabouts of Singh before taking a decision on his plea as he had gone underground. There were rumours that he had fled the country.  </p>
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His counsel had stated that Param Bir Singh does not want to abscond and as, in fact, in India. He had sought a CBI inquiry into the accusations against him.</p>
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However, the Supreme Court had ruled this out, observing: "If the former police commissioner of Mumbai says he faces a threat from Mumbai Police, then what kind of message does it send?"</p>
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A city court had allowed the Mumbai police to initiate proceedings for declaring Singh a proclaimed offender which would have led to the seizure of his properties if he did not show up in 30 days.</p>
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The Maharashtra home department had initiated the process of declaring Param Bir Singh as an “absconder.”</p>
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In a communication to the Intelligence Bureau, the department said the IPS officer was untraceable. The state department has also sought legal opinion on the process of announcing Singh as an absconder.</p>
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Singh is wanted in connection with six cases in Mumbai. This includes an investigation into a money laundering case where he has levelled allegations against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze. He is also wanted for questioning in the bomb scare case outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, Antilia, and the subsequent murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiren, following which he was removed from the top post in March.</p>