CBI files closure report in extortion case against former Mumbai police commissioner Parambir Singh, 4 others

The case was registered two days after the Marine Drive police had registered a case of cheating and extortion against Singh, five other police officials, and two others on a complaint of Agarwal.

The CBI report stated that Punamiya, Jain and Ghotkar were arrested by the police then. However, after Singh filed a petition in The Supreme Court of India, the investigation of the cases was transferred to the agency.

The officials said Shyam Sundar Agarwal and his two nephews — Sharad and Shubham — are in the construction business at Mira Road and Bhayander area.

Agarwal had a long-running dispute dating back to 2011 with his erstwhile business partner Punamiya which was settled in the Bombay High Court. Agarwal, however, alleged then that the settlement was forced on him, based on which the police registered a case and opened up an old dispute again.

The CBI, in its closure report, said that the the witnesses to the deed of settlement January 18, 2017, had not supported the version of the complainant and clearly stated that the settlement was arrived without any pressure.

It added, “The allegations made by the complainant are not corroborated by any independent evidence. The complaint was lodged after lapse of almost five years from the date of occurrence. The complainant could not provide the exact dates/places/time etc. for the alleged meetings in Thane and delivery of demanded money.”

The incident that occurred during 2016-2017 was reported in 2021 and by this time, the evidence instrumental in finding out the truth was not available, the CBI stated.

The CBI also stated that there was no explanation as to why the complaint in the present case was filed by Agrawal’s nephew and not himself.

The allegations of the present case are repetition of the allegations in the FIR filed at the Marine Drive police station and most importantly the complainant did not honour the settlement, the CBI said.