Antilia bomb scare: Waze told driver it was ‘secret operation’, says NIA
MUMBAI: It was a “secret operation”, former police officer Sachin Waze told his official driver, who was with him on the day when an explosives-laden SUV was placed near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence ‘Antilia’ here in February this year, the NIA has said in its charge sheet.
The driver’s statement is part of the charge sheet filed by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) last week before a special court here against Waze and nine others in connection with the recovery of the vehicle with gelatin sticks near Ambani’s south Mumbai residence on February 25 and the subsequent murder of Thanebased businessman Mansukh Hiran.
The driver narrated the entire sequence of events leading to the planting of the vehicle near Ambani’s house on the intervening night of February 24 and 25.
He told the probe agency that at around 05.30 pm on February 24, he had driven Waze to ‘Dnyaneshwari’ bungalow, the official residence of the then Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. Waze went inside the residence alone and returned in about an hour, the driver said.
The driver further stated that Waze asked him to change the number plates of Mahindra Scorpio, the explosives-laden vehicle which was placed outside Ambani’s resdince, and an Innova car, multiple times.
The NIA in its charge sheet also said Waze placed the SUV near Ambani’s house here to regain his reputation as a “super cop”. Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran was subsequently killed as Waze thought him to be the “weak link” in the conspiracy, the NIA said, alleging that Pradeep Sharma, a former police officer, was roped in to execute the murder.
Nita cancelled Guj trip after SUV found: NIA told
A scheduled visit of industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s wife Nita Ambani to Gujarat was cancelled after the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV outside their house ‘Antilia’ in south Mumbai in February this year, the security head of the residence has said in his statement to the NIA.
Besides, another security guard, working near ‘Antilia’, in his statement to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the atmosphere in the area has changed (since the incident) and it’s “not fear free”.