NIA seeks info on Nepal stay of 3 accused
MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday obtained a letter of request (LR) to be forwarded to the Nepal government seeking evidence regarding the stay of three accused in the neighbouring country in the case registered for allegedly planting an explosiveladen SUV outside Antilia, the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani and the murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran.
In its chargesheet, the agency claimed that the trio—santosh Shelar, Satish Mothkuri and Manish Soni—were involved in murdering Hiran on March 4, 2021 and were on the run between March 9, 2021 and March 20, 2021.
During this period, the agency said the three went to Delhi, from where they went to Nepal. They then travelled to Dubai from Nepal. Later, they returned to India and were arrested in connection with the case.
The agency on Tuesday submitted a plea to the special NIA court for a letter of request to the concerned authorities in Nepal, pleading that they need details and evidence regarding the stay of the three accused in Kathmandu after Hiran’s murder. It was contended that if the request to share the evidence was not sent, there were chances that the evidence would be tampered with.
Allowing the plea, the court ordered the Central government to send the letter of request to the competent authority which in turn would be asked to collect the evidence and share it with the special court. On February 25, 2021, an SUV was found abandoned outside Antilia with 20 gelatine sticks kept in a backpack and a note threatening the members of the Ambani family. On March 5, the body of the vehicle’s owner, Mansukh Hiren, was found dumped in the creek near Mumbra.
The NIA claimed that dismissed Mumbai police officer Sunil Mane had called Hiran to meet him at Ghodbunder Road in Thane and handed him over to the trio—purportedly hired by ex-encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma.