Sachin Vaze directly reported to Param Bir Singh: Report

Singh also overruled objections while Vaze’s plea of reinstatement was discussed

Suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze bypassed all levels of police hierarchy and reported directly to former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh, according to a report submitted to the Maharashtra government.

Besides, it states that Singh, currently the commandant general of Home Guards, overruled objections while Vaze’s plea of reinstatement was discussed.

The report has been prepared by Mumbai Police chief Hemant Nagrale and has been submitted to the Home department.

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Vaze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) reported directly to Singh and never allowed his junior officers to discuss investigations with their seniors.

While in CIU, he handled sensational cases like TRP rigging scam, the Anvay Naik suicide case and the death of her mother Kumud Naik, in which he arrested TV anchor-editor Arnab Goswami, sports car scam involving Dilip Chhabria and Bollywood-TV-entertainment industry’s casting couch racket.

Besides, he also recently recorded the statement of Hrithik Roshan vis-à-vis the dispute that the actor had with Kangana Ranaut in 2016.

And, of course, the case involving the planting of Scorpio near the residence of India’s top businessman Mukesh Ambani.

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“Sachin Vaze has not followed the rules and he directly and independently reported to the then commissioner of police, Mumbai (Singh) and he investigated under his guidance,” the report states, adding that he was following the "guidelines" of Singh about raids on illegal activities, whom to arrest or not, to call whom as witnesses in sensitive cases and points to be mentioned in remand applications and anticipatory bail applications.

“Sachin Vaze never used to report to senior officers of the Crime Branch. Occasionally, he used to discuss informally about the crime. He also strictly prohibited his colleagues of CIU from reporting to senior officers of the Crime Branch,” the report states.

As per modes of reporting, the unit in-charge along with investigation officer report to assistant commissioner of police, then deputy commissioner of police, then additional commissioner of police and then joint commissioner of police.

The report states that on completion of “suspension period”, he was reinstated and posted in armed police forces on 8 June, 2020. “As per oral orders of the then commissioner of police, the then joint commissioner of police (crime) transferred police inspector Vinay Gorphade and Sudhakar Deshmukh to Unit 10 and Unit 1, respectively and Vaze was posted in-charge of CIU. “As per information given on telephone, the then joint commissioner of police (crime) has strongly opposed the posting of Vaze. However, at the insistence of the commissioner of police, the then joint commissioner of police (crime) unwillingly issued the office order for posting of Vaze in CIU,” it said.