CONTROVERSIAL police officer Sachin Waze, now suspended, was reinstated in the Crime Intelligence Unit in June last year on the insistence of then Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh despite the strong objection raised by then Joint CP (crime), as per a report submitted by present Commissioner of Police Hemant Nagrale to Maharashtra Home Department on the circumstances leading to Waze’s reinstatement. The report stated Waze bypassed hierarchy and reported directly to then Commissioner of Police (read Param Bir Singh), and he even attended ministerial-level briefings along with the CP in important cases like the TRP scam, DC (Dilip Chhabria) car finance case, Mukesh Ambani security scare case.

 

As per the convention, the CIU is headed by an officer of the rank of the police inspector, but the same was set aside in the case of Waze who is Assistant Police Inspector (API), an official said quoting the report. Two Police Inspectors - Sudhakar Deshmukh and Vinay Ghorpade - were transferred to Units 01 and 10, ostensibly to make way for Waze, who was of a lower API rank, but was posted as in charge of the CIU. The decision to reinstate the “encounter specialist” Waze, who was suspended after the alleged custodial death of bomb blast accused Khwaja Yunus in 2003, in the Mumbai Police force was taken at a meeting held on June 5, 2020. That meeting was attended by then Commissioner of Mumbai Police (Param Bir Singh), Joint Commissioner of Police

 

MUMBAI : FORMER Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh appeared before the NIA here on Wednesday to record his statement in connection with case of an explosives-laden SUV found near Mukesh Ambani’s residence, an official said. Singh reached the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) office Mumbai in a car around 9.30 am, he said. Singh, who is currently Director General of the Home Guards, was removed from the Mumbai Police chief’s post last month. Singh was summoned by NIA to record his statement.

 

(Administration), Additional Commissioner of Police(Local Arms) and DCP, Mantralaya Security, as per the report. On June 8, Waze was posted in the crime branch after a meeting of the establishment committee cleared his name. The order of his posting was issued on June 9, the official said.

 

The reason given for revoking the suspension of Waze and 56 other police officers and staffers, was the shortage of manpower due to the coronavirus pandemic. The report said, then Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) had raised a strong objection against Waze’s posting in the CIU. However, on the insistence of then CP Mumbai (Param Bir Singh), the order was issued “out of helplessness” on June 9 and Waze joined the CIU, he said.