"Parambir Singh was the mastermind in Antilia case": NCP leader Anil Deshmukh

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], May 21 : In a major development in the Antilia case, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Sunday called former Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh the "mastermind" of the whole case.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader's remarks have come days after Maharashtra Government on May 12 dropped charges against Parambir Singh and revoked his suspension by the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Addressing the press conference here in Pune, Deshmukh said, "When I was the Home Minister of Maharashtra during the Antilia bomb scare case, which was followed by Manshukh Hiren murder, I immediately suspended Parambir Singh and transferred him to low profile position. But under the pressure from some political party, he made accusations against me. After that, I was arrested but the cases against me were not proved in the court, and I was given bail. Parambir Singh in the affidavit in the court had said that he doesn't have any evidence to support his own allegations"

"From keeping gelatin stick outside Antilia, to doing complete planning of that case was done under the mastermind Parambir Singh. Four other officers inside the CP office in Mumbai including Sachin Waze were involved in the case. Now the Suspension of Parambir Singh was revoked just to award him for making false allegations against me," Deshmukh added.

Earlier on May 17, Anil Deshmukh had alleged that the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra had used Pramabir Singh to "frame" him and his suspension has been revoked as "reward".

"The government used Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh to frame me and now as a reward his suspension has been revoked. I will raise this issue in the party's core committee meeting today," Deshmukh said.

Anil Deshmukh was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in November 2021, in an alleged corruption case. The ED had alleged that Deshmukh misused his position as state home minister and collected Rs 4.70 crore from various bars in Mumbai through some police officers. He was released in December 2022

The case pertains to the murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren and parking a car full of explosives outside Antilia, the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer, was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner on March 17, 2021, and was made the General Commander of Maharashtra State Home Guard after he levelled allegations against then-state home minister Anil Deshmukh.

Singh, who was transferred from the top post, had alleged that then Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore for him every month.

Param Bir Singh had made these allegations in a letter written to then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.