Maharashtra govt launches ‘massive search’ to find Param Bir Singh, buzz is he has fled India

MUMBAI: A week after the CID failed to serve a bailable warrant against Param Bir Singh as they could not find him at his address, state home minister Dilip Walse Patil on Thursday said the MVA government had launched a massive search to trace the former Mumbai police chief for his alleged involvement in serious crimes. When asked if Singh had gone to London or Russia, as alleged in certain quarters, Walse Patil said he had no such information.
A week ago, the Chandiwal commission probing Singh’s letter to the CM which made allegations against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh had issued a bailable warrant to secure his presence before the commission, but the state CID failed to trace him.
Walse Patil told TOI, “We have launched a search to trace Param Bir Singh. We are also taking the assistance of the Central government for the purpose. Our officers are coordinating with the Centre. We do not know his whereabouts, if he has fled India. We do not have concrete information. As per rules, it is mandatory for any employee or even the CM to secure permission of the government before leaving the country. In case of Singh, it has been found he never applied for permission to travel abroad. In fact, the CID has issued a lookout notice against him.”

Further, Walse Patil said as per rules, whenever an employee proceeds on medical leave, as Singh had, he has to inform government of his whereabouts during the leave period. But Singh did not inform the government about his place of residence. “We will take action as per provisions of law,” he said.
Meanwhile, state Congress president Nana Patole on Thursday obliquely blamed the NCP-controlled home department for its failure to arrest Singh “for his alleged involvement in planting explosives outside the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.” Patole said when it emerged that dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin Waze had been directly involved in planting the explosives, the Mumbai police should have arrested Singh and the state home department should have suspended him immediately.
“In police circles, the link between Singh and Waze was well known, and Mumbai police and home department should have acted swiftly. Subsequently, both police and home department were helpless as the probe into the episode was taken over by NIA,” Patole said.

Patole spoke of the possibility of Singh having fled the country. “In several quarters, it has been said Singh has quietly left the country with the help of the Modi-led government. If he had been arrested immediately after Waze’s arrest, the state home department could have secured crucial information from him,” Patole claimed.