Mumbai: Hoteliers recount horror tales after ex-top cop Param Bir Singh’s allegations against Anil Deshmukh

A day after former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singhrsquos letter claiming malpractices by the home minister to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray sources in the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association AHAR have told midday that suspended API Sachin Waze had allegedly started collecting money two months before Anil Deshmukh made the alleged demands Sources also revealed how establishments were divided into three categories to derive their amounts According to the letter Waze met Deshmukh at the latterrsquos official residence Dyaneshwar in February endRestaurant and bar owners claim that the hafta collection had started soon after businesses resumed after the lockdown File picSinghrsquos letter reproduced a chat with SSB Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP Sanjay Patil where Singh asked if Waze told him about the reason for his meeting with Deshmukh and Patil replied ldquoThe purpose of meeting was he told me that 1750 establishment in Mumbai he should collect Rs 3 lakh per establishment for him also which will be around 40 to 50 cr sicrdquo Sources said the use of the word lsquoalsorsquo could possibly mean that a racket was already in place and this demand was over and above thatAccording to the letter Deshmukhrsquos personal secretary Mr Palande was also present during at least one of his meetings with Waze sometime in February However hotel owners said that Waze allegedly in connivance with the Social Service Branch SSB officers had been demanding and collecting money in December 2020 from bar owners with the warning of impending raidsldquoWaze had been running his shop at the CIU office inside the compound of the Commissioner of Police office in Crawford Market He would call entrepreneurs from the Food and Beverage business and convince them to cough up monthly amounts In return he would assure us that SSB officials would not conduct any raids at our establishments He also assured that wersquod stay out of other legal troublesrdquo said a hotel ownerPolice bandobast outside the official residence of CM and the home minister on Sunday PicBipin KokateldquoWe got Wazersquos horror service in the name of protection from the SSB raids This happened soon after businesses resumed after the lockdown It is hard to believe that Waze would be involved in such acts without keeping highranking officials in the looprdquo said the owner of a wellknown restaurant in BandraCategorywise collectionWaze had allegedly listed bars into three categories A B and C ldquoThe A category was supposed to shell out Rs 2 lakh a month B had to pay Rs 15 lakh while C had to pay Rs 1 lakhrdquo said a bar owner The National Investigation Agency NIA had seized a currencycounting machine and over Rs 5 lakh cash from a Mercedes Waze used ldquoWaze must have needed the machine to count the cash he collectedrdquo said a bar ownerThose who refused to pay had to face a crackdown by the SSB that deals with ladies bars and hotels ldquoSSB carried out raids at hotels and bars and filed cases The last SSB raid was in early February After that no raid was conducted as everybody agreed to pay the money to be able to operaterdquo a source said Calls and messages to ACP Patil and DCP Establishment Dr Raju Bhujbal went unanswered Another senior member of AHAR said ldquoA few hotel and bar owners in Ghatkopar Borivli and Worli had been collecting funds from nearby hotel owners and sending the money to Waze at the CIU officerdquoHotel and bar owners claimed that on Saturday they were forced to shut shop at 9 pm ldquoWe are at the receiving end and have become sandwiched between the fight of the home minister and Singh Why should we shut our establishment at 9 pm if we have all the documents We have already suffered a lot in the lockdown and if this tussle of lsquotwo titansrsquo continues will we have to keep on sufferingrdquo said an AHAR memberForce taintedWazersquos arrest in the Ambani bomb scare case has badly tainted the image of Mumbai police ldquoKapde faad wali ladai chal rahi hai tu mere kapde faad lekin mai bhi tujhe nanga karunga It is really very unfortunaterdquo lamented an IPS officerComments are also being made on the apparently hurried reinstation of Waze ldquoOn the pretext of giving him COVID duty Waze was reinstated after a 16yearlong suspension in a custodial death case He deserved a posting in the Local Arms LA Waze also roped in two officers and three to four constables close to him in the CIUrdquo an IPS officer saidMumbai police sources told midday that Waze would address Singh as lsquoKingrsquo ldquoHe had broken the chain of command Hersquod report directly to the commissioner who got involved in his cases like the TRP scam Dilip Chhabria case Hrithik Roshan fake email case and the arrest of Arnab Goswami by Raigad policerdquo said a Crime Branch sourceAnother crime branch officer who worked in the CIU for several years said ldquoWaze did not deserve to head the CIU Its heads include seasoned officers of senior PI or PI rank The mystery of his appointment is being unravelled through this caserdquo ldquoInstead of apprising the joint commissioner of police crime Waze would go directly to Singhrdquo said an officer who has worked in the CIU in the past