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Tag: NIA

  • Ambani bomb scare: Sachin Waze’s NIA custody extended till April 3; cop says made scapegoat

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The special court here on Thursday extended till April 3 the NIA custody of suspended police officer Sachin Waze in the Ambani security scare case, with the probe agency claiming that the alleged crime fell in the category of “terrorist act”.

    The National Investigation Agency also told the court it wanted to confront Waze with the other accused in the Mansukh Hiran murder, a related case, and also probe 62 unaccounted for bullets found at Waze’s house.

    Waze pleaded that he had been made a “scapegoat”.

    Waze (49), an assistant police inspector with the Mumbai crime branch, was arrested on March 13 by the National Investigation Agency.

    He was produced before the court on Thursday after his earlier remand expired.

    ALSO READ | NIA invokes UAPA against Sachin Waze in Antilia bomb scare case

    The NIA, which has invoked the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Waze, sought his custody for another 15 days.

    “I have been made a scapegoat and have nothing to do with the case,” Waze told judge P R Sitre during the hearing.

    “I was investigating officer of the case for one and a half days, and did whatever I could in that capacity. But there was suddenly change in some plan somewhere. I went to the NIA office on my own and was arrested,” he said.

    Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, the NIA lawyer, told the court that Waze’s crime being “a terrorist act” and as a person (Hiran) was also killed and explosives were planted, further 15-day custody was needed.

    The probe agency recovered 62 bullets from his house for which he could not account, and it needed to probe why they were kept there, Singh said.

    The police department had issued Waze another 30 bullets of which only five were recovered, the ASG said.

    Waze’s voice samples and some video clips showing him have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory, he said.

    NIA also found that a suite was booked for 100 days at a plush hotel in south Mumbai by paying Rs 12 lakh and using a fake Aadhar card with a false name but Waze’s photo as ID proof, and this has to be probed, the lawyer said.

    Waze and his accomplices destroyed seven or eight DVRs (CCTV footage recordings) to eliminate evidence against them, the NIA said.

    The murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran — who had claimed that the SUV with gelatin sticks found near Mukesh Ambani’s house had been stolen from his possession — was a connected case, and the NIA got the custody of two other accused arrested in that case from the Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad only the day before, Singh said.

    They need to confront Waze with the other accused, he added.

    Waze’s lawyer Aabad Ponda contended that the UAPA could not be invoked in this case.

    The gelatin sticks in the SUV were without a detonator and hence their recovery does not fall under the purview of the UAPA, he argued.

    “Terrorist act” as defined under the UAPA must be against the country or a public functionary, and not just some famous individual, the lawyer argued.

    After hearing the submissions, the judge extended the custody only till April 3.

    Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut indicated that a judicial inquiry may be instituted to probe former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh’s allegations that state home minister Anil Deshmukh had asked Waze and other police officers to collect money from bars and hotels.

    In Delhi, Union minister Ramdas Athawale met President Ram Nath Kovind and sought President’s rule in Maharashtra in the wake of Singh’s allegation of corruption against Deshmukh and the Waze affair.

  • Assam activist Akhil Gogoi alleges torture in custody, claims NIA offered bail if he joined BJP

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI:  Anti-CAA activist Akhil Gogoi in a letter from jail on Tuesday alleged physical and mental torture in custody and claimed that he was offered instant bail by NIA interrogators if he joined either the RSS or BJP.

    The letter released by Gogoi’s newly floated political outfit Raijor Dal said that the peasant leader was taken to Delhi on December 18, 2019 without the Court’s permission.

    “At the NIA headquarter, I was lodged in lockup no 1 and was given only one dirty blanket. I slept on the floor in 3-4 degree celsius of temperature,” he claimed.

    During interrogation, the NIA officials offered him instant bail if he joined the RSS, the letter claimed.

    “When I was arguing against the insulting offer, they came out with another proposal of joining the BJP. They said I could contest the Assembly against a vacant seat and become a minister,” Gogoi claimed.

    The RTI activist also alleged that he was offered Rs 20 crore to start an NGO by leaving the peasant body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and work against conversion of Assamese people into Christianity.

    “When I did not accept any of their proposals, they offered me a meeting with the chief minister and an influential minister of Assam. I turned down that too,” Gogoi said.

    He alleged that when he accepted none of the NIA offers, he was called a “disobedient citizen” as charged in extreme cases.

    “I was threatened with dire consequences if I don’t accept their proposals. Death threats also came. I was threatened with at least 10 years of imprisonment. With so much physical and mental torture, I became restless on the night of December 20,” Ggogi wrote.

    He was admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for treating COVID-19 and remains there for other ailments.

    “I was threatened with dire consequences if I don’t accept their proposals. Death threats also came. I was threatened with at least 10 years of imprisonment.”

    “With so much physical and mental torture, I became restless on the night of December 20,” Ggogi wrote.

    The NIA had arrested him in December 2019 for his alleged role in violent anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests.

    He was admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for treating COVID-19 and remains there for other ailments.

    When contacted, BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami told PTI “These are all baseless allegations and nothing but cheap politics.

    The letter was issued just four days before the polling starts in Assam and it is done only to gain votes.

    “However, the people of Assam have understood what Akhil Gogoi is. Assamese people are very mature. Nobody will vote for him and he will lose his deposit,” he added.

    Sivasagar constituency from where Gogoi is contesting, is going for polls in the first phase on March 27.

  • NIA charges PDP leader Para with terror funding

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  In a setback to former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and her Peoples Democratic Party, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed a supplementary charge sheet against party leader Waheed Para and two others in connection with a terror case in which suspended Jammu and Kashmir police officer Davinder Singh was arrested last year. 

    According to the anti-terror agency, Para was part of the conspiracy for raising and transferring funds to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants. Singh, then serving as deputy superintendent of police, was arrested by the central agency in January 2020 and was granted bail by a Delhi court on June 19 last year.

    The supplementary charge sheet against Para, Shaheen Ahmad Lone and Tafazul Hussain Parimoo was filed under provisions of the  IPC, the UA (P) Act, Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act in the NIA special court in Jammu. Last year, the terror probe agency had charge-sheeted six people, including Singh, in the same case. Investigation by the agency showed that Lone and Parimoo were part of gun-running from across the LoC for terrorists of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e- Taiba, the charge sheet stated.

    Para, according to the agency, was part of a conspiracy which also raised and transferred funds to Hizbul men for procuring terrorist hardware. He was a “crucial player in sustaining political-separatist-terrorist nexus in J&K”. Para was arrested on November 25 last year on the eve of DDC polls. Mufti had called it a politically motivated move. He was granted bail by the NIA court on January 9 but was arrested again two days later by the J&K Police and still remains in custody.

  • MVA discusses Deshmukh’s future; Julio Ribeiro refuses to probe Param Bir’s letter

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, state unit NCP chief Jayant Patil, and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut separately met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Sunday evening in view of former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh’s allegations of corruption against state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

    The meetings took place hours after Pawar told reporters that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide the fate of Deshmukh, an NCP leader, amid speculation in state political circles that Maharashtra may soon have a new home minister.

    Singh has claimed Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels in Mumbai.

    Deshmukh had denied these allegations as baseless.

    However, what transpired during the meetings at Pawar’s residence in Delhi could not be known.

    Earlier in the day, Raut told reporters in Mumbai that allegations of Singh against Deshmukh and the Sachin Waze episode have dented the image of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state.

    Waze was arrested by the NIA, which is probing the recovery of an explosives-laden vehicle from outside the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani last month and also the alleged murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran, the purported owner of that SUV.

    Raut said all allies- the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress- need to introspect if their “feet are on the ground”.

    “Anil Deshmukh’s side also needs to be heard before taking any decision on him. We will take a decision on Deshmukh by tomorrow,” Pawar told reporters.

    Jayant Patil, who is also the state Water Resources Minister, had said that the Delhi visit was planned three days ago.

    “The Pandharpur Assembly bypoll is scheduled next month. Ajit Pawar and I decided to meet party workers in Solapur district to know their views over the selection of candidate and the party strategy, and then meet Pawar saheb in Delhi with the feedback before returning to Mumbai,” he said.

    “Accordingly, both of us are in Pandharpur to discuss issues related to the bypoll with party workers,” he said. The Pandharpur bypoll is scheduled to be held on April 17. It was necessitated due to the death of NCP MLA Bharat Bhalke last year.

    Meanwhile, Congress sources said Central leaders of the party are in touch with leaders in Maharashtra on the developments regarding Deshmukh.

    A Congress leader told PTI on Sunday night that the CM was in touch with all prominent leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in view of Singh’s letter.

    “I don’t think Anil Deshmukh will be asked to resign, as it will amount to accepting the allegations made against him,” he said.

    Meanwhile, former IPS officer Julio Ribeiro on Sunday rejected NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s suggestion that he should probe Singh’s claim that Home Minister Anil Deshmukh asked suspended police officer Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.

    ALSO READ | Won’t be fair to comment as NCP chief has spoken: Congress on graft charges against Deshmukh

    “I am not available. Nobody (in state government) has contacted me. And in any case even if they contact me, I am unavailable,” Ribeiro told PTI when asked about Pawar’s suggestion.

    “I am 92 years old. Nobody goes around doing this work at the age of 92. If the inquiry is against the home minister of Maharashtra, then Mr Pawar should make it because he is the head of the (ruling) party,” Ribeiro said.

    Ribeiro is a former Mumbai police commissioner, who eventually became the chief of Gujarat and Punjab police and was later named India’s ambassador to Romania.

    “Why should a retired police officer be asked to do this,” he said.

    Earlier in the day, Pawar told reporters in Delhi that he would suggest Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to seek Ribeiros help to investigate the claims made by Singh.

    In a letter to Thackeray, Param Bir Singh alleged that Anil Deshmukh instructed suspended Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month for him.

    Pawar’s comments came during a media briefing at Delhi amid speculation in state political circles that Maharashtra may soon have a new home minister.

    The allegations leveled by Singh against Dehsmukh are serious and require an in-depth probe, Pawar said.

    Singh has claimed that Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly for him from bars and hotels.

    Pawar indicated that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will take a decision in this matter soon and also action against Deshmukh.

    “We will take a decision on Deshmukh by tomorrow,” Pawar said.

    Deshmukh’s side also needs to be heard before taking any decision, he added.

    Pawar said neither Thackeray nor Deshmukh were responsible for reinstatement of police officer Sachin Waze in the police force last year.

    The NCP chief said he has spoken to Thackeray regarding Singh’s letter.

    ALSO READ | BJP workers hold protests for resignation of Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh

    “I would suggest Thackeray to seek former IPS officer Julio Ribeiro’s help for looking into the claims made by Param Bir Singh,” he said.

    Ribeiro rejected the idea, saying he is unavailable for this kind of work.

    “I am 92 years old. Nobody goes around doing this work at the age of 92. If the inquiry is against the home minister of Maharashtra, then Mr Pawar should make it because he is the head of the (ruling) party,” Ribeiro told PTI.

    Pawar said Singh had complained to him aboutpolitical interference in police department.

    He said Singh had spoken of reports about his transfer, saying it would be an injustice to him.

    Pawar said Singh made the allegations after his transfer on March 17 to the Home Guards.

    There is no impact on the MVA government because of Singh’s allegations, Pawar said.

    Efforts are on to destabilise the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra but they will prove futile, he added.

    In the eight-page letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Singh alleged that Deshmukh used to call police officers to his official residence and give them a “collection target” from bars, restaurants and other establishments.

    Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut admitted that the allegations made by Singh against Deshmukh and about the Waze case have tainted the image of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state.

    Raut saio all the MVA allies need to introspect if their feet are on the ground.

    Former chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said Pawar was trying to save the Maha Vikas Aghadi government amid allegations of corruption leveled by Singh against Deshmukh.

    “How were important postings and cases given to Waze without the knowledge of the chief minister and the home minister?” Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur.

    Waze is in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged role in placing an explosives- laden SUV outside the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani last month.

    The NIA is also probing the alleged murder of Thane- based businessman Mansukh Hiran who was in possession of that SUV.

    ALSO READ | Allegations against Deshmukh: Sharad Pawar trying to save Maha govt, says Fadnavis

    “As the architect of the MVA government, Pawar is trying to save it, Fadnavis said and reiterated his demand for resignation of Deshmukh and a court-monitored probe into the allegations made by Singh.”

    “Waze (a former encounter specialist who was suspended after the alleged custodial death of bomb blast suspect Khwaja Yunis in 2003) was reinstated by a committee headed by Param Bir Singh. But how is it possible that he got important cases and postings without the knowledge of the CM and the home minister?” Fadnavis said.

    Former MP Sanjay Nirupam said his Congress party must take a stand on Singh’s claim that Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels.

    Meanwhile, BJP workers on Sunday staged demonstrations in various parts of the state demanding Deshmukh’s resignation over Singh’s letter.

    BJP workers led by former state energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule staged protests at Sanvidhan square in Nagpur and raised slogans against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

    A demonstration was organised by BJP Yuva Morcha wokers outside Deshmukh’s residence in Nagpur.

  • Security scare to Ambanis: NIA likely to take over Mansukh Hiren death case

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Amid intense opposition pressure on the Maharashtra government, the NIA is likely to take over the probe of Mansukh Hiren death case that is linked to the bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence.

    The central agency is already investigating the case of explosive-laden SUV being found near Antilia last month and had arrested encounter specialist Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze in this connection.

    Since the two cases are interlinked, opposition BJP has been demanding that the Hiren death case should also be handed over to the NIA. Waze, alleged to be involved in both cases, is currently suspended.

    Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh met NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Friday and briefed him about the developments related to the two cases. Deshmukh, whose handling of the entire affair has come under scrutiny, said the police would cooperate with the NIA in the entire case.

    “NIA and ATS (Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad) both are probing the case. Whoever is guilty will be punished… Necessary action will be taken by the state government after the NIA completes its probe,” he said.

    Two senior NIA officials Inspector General Anil Shukla and Superintendent of Police Vikram Khalate met the new Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Friday afternoon.

    ALSO READ | Ambani security scare: Waze, Hiran seen meeting on the day Scorpio was ‘stolen’

    Also, a forensic team from Pune reached Mumbai on Friday to investigate the vehicles, shirt, bottles etc. seized by the NIA team.

    Meanwhile, a Thane sessions court denied relief to Waze and adjourned his anticipatory bail application filed in connection with Hiren’s death for hearing on March 30.

    A special NIA court in Mumbai also rejected his plea to meet his lawyers privately while in NIA custody. The agency told the court that the officer was not cooperating in investigation.

    Waze is in NIA custody till March 25. The ATS has also demanded his custody.

    As per Waze’s call records and CCTV footage obtained by the ATS, the officer met Hiren twice before the bomb scare incident.

    CCTV footage recovered from a spot near CSMT showed that the two had met on February 17, the day Hiren’s SUV was allegedly stolen, an ATS official said.

    Waze and Hiren came separately, sat in a Mercedes (which has since been seized by the NIA) for about 10 minutes and then left. The ATS suspects that Hiren handed over the SUV’s keys to  Waze during this meeting, sources said. 

  • ‘Marathi Manoos’ agenda evident in Hemant Nagrale’s selection as Mumbai top cop

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has been pitching the son of the soil Marathi manoos agenda while appointing top administrative and police officials in the state.

    After the arrest of API Sachin Waze, Thackeray shunted out Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and brought back the DG of Maharashtra Police, Hemant Nagrale into the fold.

    Another Marathi, Vishwas Nagare Patil was earlier appointed Joint Police Commissioner (law and order), while Milind Bharambe became Joint Commissioner (crime). Maharashtra’s chief secretary Sitaram Kunte is also a Marathi manoos.

    Before Nagrale was appointed Police Commissioner, the NCP had almost zeroed in on Rajnish Seth for the post.

    “But the CM overruled and insisted Marathi manoos Nagrale be the man for the job. When Singh was chosen earlier, Thackeray was reluctant. But NCP chief Sharad Pawar insisted on him. Thackeray is keen on the Marathi manoos concept, which helps him expand his party base,” said a source.

    Sanjay Pandey, Maharashtra’s senior-most cop, had slammed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government for ending his career.

    He had said he was the senior-most and still not appointed commissioner.

    He was given the insignificant posting of head of Maharashtra state security cooperation. In a complaint to Thackeray, Pandey had said injustice had been done to him.

    Surendra Jhondale, professor of political science at Mumbai University, said Shiv Sena was born with the Marathi manoos agenda. Now that they are in the government, they are pursuing it more aggressively.

    “But Thackeray is also checking out the efficiency and uprightness of the officers while appointing them in crucial posts. This government is constantly fighting with the powerful government at the Centre. So Thackeray and Pawar need trusted lieutenants who will not succumb to Delhi’s pressure,” said Jondhale.

  • Family came to know about Sachin Waze’s arrest through media: Cop’s brother

    Sudharma Waze also alleged that his brother Sachin is being implicated in the case.

  • NIA taking over Ambani bomb scare case amounts to demoralising Mumbai Police: Sanjay Raut

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that the NIA taking over the probe into the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence here amounted to demoralising the Mumbai Police and creating instability in Maharashtra.

    Talking to reporters here, Raut also said Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze, arrested late Saturday night by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is an “honest, successful officer and a good investigator”.

    “The state government’s prestige is at stake in this case,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

    Meanwhile, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told reporters in Nagpur that the ATS and NIA were probing the recovery of the explosives-laden vehicle and the case of Hiran’s death.

    “The truth will come out and action will be taken accordingly,” he said.

    When asked if Waze would be suspended, Deshmukh did not comment.

    A Scorpio found parked near Ambani’s house on Carmichael Road in south Mumbai on February 25 contained some gelatin sticks and a threat letter.

    Waze, an “encounter specialist”, is also facing heat in the murder case of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran who was in possession of the Scorpio.

    Hiran was found dead in a creek in Thane district on March 5.

    The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is investigating the Hiran murder case.

    It had registered an FIR against unidentified persons days after Hiran’s body was found.

    Raut said the Mumbai Police were capable of investigating both the cases and involvement of central agencies “wasn’t required”.

    “They (Mumbai Police) are capable and professional. They can’t be pressurised. The NIA taking over the probe amounts to creating pressure and terror of the central government by lowering the morale of the police and destabilising the state,” he alleged.

    The Shiv Sena’s chief spokesperson further charged that Waze’s arrest by the NIA amounted to encroaching upon the rights of the police and an attack on their capabilities.

    Raut said state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had handed over the probe to the ATS, but the NIA entered the scene to probe the recovery of 20 gelatin sticks in the Scorpio.

    To a question on sections under which Waze has been charged, Raut said, “There is a difference between charges being levelled and the charges being proved.”

    “The state government’s prestige is at stake in this case,” he further said.

    Raut also said the government should take “very seriously” the issue of sensitive information reaching the opposition leaders first.

    The opposition should explain what the CBI’s probe found into the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death which the Mumbai Police had not investigated.

    In his weekly column ‘Rokhtok’ in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, Raut said it was not a good sign for the state government that Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis had “access first” to all confidential documents in case of the explosives-laden SUV and Hiran’s mysterious death.

    He said the present controversy has enabled the opposition to “regain its lost confidence”.

    “What was happening in the state currently was not good for its prestige,” he said.

    Raut said Sanjay Rathod had to resign as state minister over the Puja Chavan suicide case, while the opposition targeted Sachin Waze in the case Manuskh Hiran’s death.

    “But, the opposition is not ready to speak on the cases of suicide of (interior designer) Anvay Naik and (Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha member) Mohan Delkar,” he said.

    Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and two others were arrested on November 4 last year by Raigad police in connection with the suicide of Anvay Naik and his mother in 2018. They were granted bail by the Supreme Court a few days later. Delkar (58) was found dead in a hotel in south Mumbai last month.

    Dubbing the recovery of gelatin sticks from the vehicle found near Ambani’s residence and Hiran’s death as a “mystery”, Raut said, “But, there is a difference between mystery and truth.”

    He said Hiran left his house for the last time saying a police official called “Tawde” had called him to Kandivali police station.

    “But, there is no official by that name in Kandivali. All this is very complicated. An external force is controlling some groups in the Mumbai and Thane police forces,” Raut claimed, adding that it is not good if factionalism in the police force shows up again.

  • Ambani bomb scare: NIA produces Sachin Waze before Mumbai court 

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday presented police officer Sachin Waze before a court here in connection with a probe into the recovery of explosives from a car parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambanis house in Mumbai.

    Waze was brought to the court in south Mumbai after being taken to a local hospital for his medical examination, an official said.

    The NIA arrested Waze on Saturday night for his alleged involvement in placing the explosives-laden vehicle on Carmichael Road near billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia on February 25, an agency spokesperson said.

    Waze was summoned at the agency’s Mumbai office at Cumballa Hill in south Mumbai around 11.30 am on Saturday to record his statement.

    The spokesperson said Waze was arrested under Sections of IPC and Explosive Substances Act after being questioned by NIA officials for around 12 hours.

  • Bomb threat to Ambanis: NIA to present Mumbai cop Sachin Waze before court on Sunday

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) will present Sachin Waze, an assistant police inspector with the Mumbai Police who was arrested in connection with the investigation into the recovery of explosives from a car parked near Mukesh Ambani’s house in Mumbai, before a special court on Sunday to demand his custody.

    This came days after Waze, was who was leading the investigating of Mansukh Hiren’s death in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), was transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at the Mumbai Police Headquarters.

    “Sachin Waze API Mumbai Police Crime Branch has been arrested for his role and involvement in Placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Carmichael Road (near Mukesh Ambani’s house) on 25th February 2021,” said an official statement of NIA.

    Waze was summoned to the NIA office on Saturday to record his statement, in connection with the recovery of explosives from a car parked near Mukesh Ambani’s house in Mumbai. Later, he was arrested under section 286, 465, 473, 506(2), 120 B of the Indian Penal Code, and 4(a)(b)(I) of the Explosive Substances Act 1908.

    In 2004 also, Waze was arrested and suspended from service in connection with Khawja Yunus custodial death case. He and other cops were named in the charge sheet.

    After his release , the controversial joined the Shiv Sena and after 16 years of suspension, he had joined the Mumbai police again in 2019 in crime branch. 

    Earlier on Saturday, sensing his arrest, Waze had posted an emotional post on his WhatsApp DP.

    “3 March 2004, fellow officers from the CID arrested me in the false case (see the box to know more about this Khaja Yunus case). That arrest inclusive till date, sending the history is going to repeat. My fellow officers are on to falsely trap me. There is a slight difference in the scenario. Probably, I had 17 years of hope, patience, life and service too. Now, I will have neither 17 years of further life nor service nor patience to live. I think the time to say goodbye to the world is coming closer,” He said in his message.

    The Opposition earlier demanded the Waze’s arrest in connection with Mansukh Hiren death case while the government transferred him from Crime Branch to another department.

    The encounter specialist also approached the Thane session court for anticipatory bail.

    In his bail plea, Waze said that the fraudulent case has been made against him to trap and end his career.

    He also claimed that he has nothing to do with what mentioned in FIR against him.

    “On the basis of falsified information in FIR, no one can be arrested. There is no substance in allegations made against him. He was staying in Thane so he knew Mansukh Hiren that cannot be the criteria to arrest me. I have no connections with Mansukh Hiren death case,” Waze stated in his plea.

    However, the Court refused to give interim relief to Sachin Waze and asked the concern authorities to submit the probe report.  

    A car carrying unassembled explosive materials was found abandoned at Carmichael Road in South Mumbai on February 25, near the house of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

    Hire, the owner of the vehicle, was found dead in a creek in the Thane district on Friday. Now, ATS Maharashtra is investigating the case.

    Hiren’s wife blamed Waze for her husband’s death and demanded a high-level inquiry. She also alleged that the cop was pressuring her husband to get arrested in the bomb scare case.

    (With ENS Inputs)