NIA files charge sheet in Antilia bomb scare, Hiren case
MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a charge sheet against dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze and others arrested in connection with the Antilia explosives scare and subsequent murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran earlier this year.
NIA superintendent of police (SP) Vikram Khalate and special prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves submitted the charge sheet before special NIA judge Prashant R Sitre in court here.
The agency filed the charge sheet two days before the end of the 30-day extension granted to it by the court last month to complete the process, a defence lawyer said.
Others arrested in the case are Vaze’s former colleague at the criminal intelligence unit of Mumbai crime branch, Riyazuddin Kazi, Vaze’s friend and dismissed crime branch inspector Sunil Mane, cricket bookie Naresh Gor and dismissed police constable Vinayak Shinde, an accused in Lakhan Bhaiya encounter case.
“During the investigation, incriminating evidence came to fore against the arrested accused involved in various stages of conspiracy of placing explosiveladen vehicle, its theft and commission of murder of Mansukh Hiran,” an NIA statement said, adding: “Further investigation in the case continues”.
Earlier, on August 30, the Special NIA court rejected NIA’s demand for custody of Vaze and Mane in connection with the Antilia bomb scare and Hiran murder cases. Both Vaze and Mane are currently in judicial custody at Taloja prison. Vaze has been admitted to Surana and Sethia Hospital at Bhiwandi for open-heart surgery.
The case pertains to the recovery of the explosives-laden vehicle near Antilia, the residence of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani on February 25. A note threatening his family was also recovered from the vehicle.
On March 5, the body of the vehicle owner and Thane-based auto parts dealer, Mansukh Hiran, was found in a creek at Reti Bunder near Mumbra.
The NIA subsequently took over the investigation and arrested Vaze in connection with both the cases. Vaze was dismissed from service in May.
The investigating agency later also arrested encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma and four others - Santosh Shelar, Anand Jadhav, Manish Soni and Satish Mothukari - in connection with the murder case.
The agency claimed that the four accused acted on the instructions of Vaze and others, and allegedly strangled Hiran to death in a vehicle, along Ghodbunder road, and dumped the body in the creek.