TRP Case: Sachin Vaze confesses ‘Anil Deshmukh wanted Arnab Goswami arrested'

In a massive development and vindication for the Republic Media Network, ex-Mumbai Police API Sachin Vaze has told the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that Maharashtra's ex-Home Minister Anil Deshmukh instructed him to pursue the TRP scam case and get Republic TV Editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami arrested. In his statement, Sachin Vaze also revealed that in several high-profile cases he was repeatedly called by Anil Deshmukh to the latter's home and given detailed instructions on the action to be taken. Vaze, who has recently been chargesheeted for murder and under the UAPA and is currently in Taloja jail, made these statements to the ED which is probing Deshmukh for alleged money laundering.

Sachin Vaze: 'Deshmukh wanted to arrest Arnab Goswami'

"In TRP case, Shri Anil Deshmukh wanted to arrest Arnab Goswami. In Dilip Chhabria Case Shri Anil Deshmukh wanted me to get some kind of settlement with his partner of approx. Rs.150 crore. In Social Media Fake follower case he wanted to have all-out action against the culprits," said Sachin Vaze's statement to ED.

He added that Anil Deshmukh used to call him at his office or residence to instruct him directly about various cases including the TRP scam case & Arnab Goswami arrest case.

What is the fake TRP case?

Ex-Mumbai CP Parambir Bir Singh had held a press conference to share details of an alleged 'TRP scam' into which the police were probing - naming Republic TV and two Marathi channels - Fakht Marathi and Box Cinema. Mumbai police initially arrested ten individuals including Hansa research's ex-employee Vishal Bhandari who confessed that a person named Vinay paid him Rs.5000 as commission for distributing Rs.1000 among 5 panel homes to ask them to watch India Today daily for 2 hours. While Param Bir Singh named Republic TV, neither the FIR, complaint, remand copy nor the arrested individuals' statements mentioned the channel; instead they named India Today.

In spite of this, the Mumbai police questioned Republic TV's executive editor- Niranjan Narayanaswamy, Senior Executive Editor Abhishek Kapoor, CEO, COO, and senior members of the Republic Media Network's Distribution team, asking them to reveal how they accessed the 'Hansa report'. The questioning has totalled over 200 hours - culminating in Republic's Assistant VP Ghanshyam Singh's arrest, Republic CEO Vikas Khanchandani's arrest and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami's arrest. All have been granted bail from various courts.

Currently, Sachin Vaze himself has been named in the NIA's chargesheet in the Antilia bomb scare case and the Mansukh Hiran murder. Moreover, Deshmukh is being probed by the CBI & ED after Param Bir Singh alleged that Vaze had been summoned by Deshmukh to his residence several times in the past few months 'setting a target of accumulating Rs 100 crores a month' from 1,750 bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai - collecting Rs 2-3 lakhs from each. Both Param Bir Singh and ex-HM Anil Deshmukh have since turned against each other and are being pursued by different law enforcement and probe agencies in money laundering, extortion and corruption probes.