The Central Bureau Of Investigation is conducting searches at former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's residence. The agency has registered a corruption case against Deshmukh in connection with allegations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
The CBI has booked Deshmukh in connection with allegations of bribery against him and carried out searches at various locations in Mumbai.
The probe agency had carried out a preliminary enquiry on the orders of Bombay High Court to look into the allegations against him levelled by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
According to the officials, during the enquiry, the CBI got enough prima facie material to start a formal probe by registering a regular case against Deshmukh and other unidentified persons under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The former minister was summoned by the probe agency for questioning into the matter on April 14 after ex-Mumbai Commissioner levelled extortion charges against him.
As part of its preliminary enquiry, the CBI also questioned Anil Deshmukh’s personal assistants Sanjeev Palande and Kundan Shinde, former cop Sachin Vaze’s two drivers, bar owners, Mumbai Police officers, and people close to the former minister in connection with the alleged corruption case.
On March 20, Singh had written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging that the then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked for suspended police officer Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month from bars and hotels.
Deshmukh later resigned as a minister after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into the allegations made by Singh.