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Tag: Sachin Waze

  • Extortion case: Anticipatory bail plea rejected of man accused of helping Sachin Waze

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A court in Mumbai has denied anticipatory bail in an extortion case to a businessman accused of aiding dismissed police officer Sachin Waze.

    The extortion case has been registered at Goregaon police station in the metropolis and Waze is the main accused.

    The pre-arrest bail plea of Riyaz Bhati, accused of delivering money from bars and restaurants in Mumbai to Waze, was rejected on September 16, but a detailed order was made available on Saturday.

    Sessions Judge Deepak Bhagwat, in his order, said there was “ample material showing complicity of the present applicant (Bhati) accused in the commission of the offences as he aided the prime accused Sachin Vaze in collection of extortion.”

    The judge observed that Bhati’s custodial interrogation was necessary, adding that the applicant accused had criminal antecedents.

    Others named in the FIR include former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

  • Bomb scare case: Sachin Waze seeks court nod for ‘house custody’ for post-surgery recovery

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Former police officer Sachin Waze, an accused in the Antilia bomb scare-Mansukh Hiran murder case, on Friday moved an application before a special court here seeking permission for placing him under ‘house custody’ for recovery post an open heart surgery.

    The court directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the case, to file a reply to Waze’s plea and adjourned the matter for hearing on September 27.

    The 49-year-old dismissed Mumbai cop, who was arrested in March, recently underwent the heart surgery at a private hospital in the metropolis.

    In the application filed through his lawyer, Waze sought permission from the court for ‘house custody’ during the recovery period.

    Waze, along with nine other accused in the case, is currently in judicial custody.

    The case relates to recovery of an explosives-laden vehicle near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai residence, Antilia, on February 25.

    Mansukh Hiran, a Thane-based businessman, had claimed to be the owner of the vehicle.

    Hiran, who had said his vehicle had been stolen a week earlier, was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

    The Maharashtra ATS was probing the case before it was handed over to the NIA.

  • 10 DCPs paid Rs 40 crore to Deshmukh, Parab to reverse transfer order: Sachin Waze to ED

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab and his then cabinet colleague Anil Deshmukh allegedly received Rs 40 crore from 10 DCPs in Mumbai to reverse the order of their transfer issued by the then city police commissioner Param Bir Singh, dismissed police officer Sachin Waze has claimed in his statement to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

    This statement is part of charge sheet filed recently by the ED against Deshmukh’s former personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde in connection with a money laundering case.

    In July 2020, Param Bir Singh had issued an order of transfer of 10 DCPs in Mumbai.

    Waze, in his statement claimed that Deshmukh, who was then the home minister, and Parab were not happy with the transfer order issued by Singh.

    “Later I came to know that a sum of Rs 40 crore was collected from the police officers listed in the transfer order.

    Out of that Rs 20 crore each were given to Anil Deshmukh and Anil Parab,” Waze claimed.

    Besides the arrested duo – Palande and Shinde – the charge-sheet filed in the money laundering case also names Waze as an accused.

    However, neither Deshmukh, an NCP leader, nor his family members were named as accused in the charge sheet.

    Palande and Shinde are currently in judicial custody in the case.

    Waze, an assistant police inspector in Mumbai, was arrested in March this year in connection with the explosives-SUV found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai residence and the murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    The charge-sheet says that Palande and Shinde had played a key role in the money laundering case.

    The central agency said its probe has revealed that Deshmukh used to call Waze about handing over money collected from bars and restaurants.

    For instance, between January and February 2021, Waze handed over 16 bags containing Rs 4.

    6 crore to Shinde, while Palande was instrumental in passing on the instructions of the NCP leader to Waze.

    The ED launched a probe against Deshmukh and his associates after the CBI filed an FIR against the NCP leader on April 21 following allegations of corruption made by Param Bir Singh.

    Singh was shunted out as Mumbai police commissioner in March this year, while Deshmukh resigned as a minister in April.

  • Deshmukh asked me to collect money from bars, gave instructions in high-profile cases: Waze to ED

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Dismissed police officer Sachin Waze has alleged in his statement to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh had asked him to collect money from bar and hotel owners, and used to give instructions in high-profile investigations.

    Earlier, former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh had accused Deshmukh of asking Waze to collect money from bar owners in Mumbai, an allegation which Deshmukh, who later resigned, denied.

    Waze’s statement is part of a charge-sheet recently filed by the ED against Deshmukh’s personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde in an alleged money laundering case.

    Waze, an assistant inspector of Mumbai Police, was arrested in March this year in a case of SUV with explosives found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai residence.

    Waze told the ED that on June 16, 2020, he met Deshmukh at the state guest house Sahyadri where the then state home minister told him that together “they will do good cases”.

    Thereafter, Deshmukh used to call him frequently to take updates on various cases directly and at times for personal work such as arranging vehicles, the statement said.

    Among other matters, he got instructions from Deshmukh on the TRP rigging case where some TV channels were accused of manipulating TRP to inflate viewership, and the abetment to suicide case regarding the death of architect Anvay Naik in which journalist Arnab Goswami was arrested, as per Waze’s statement.

    To another query, Waze alleged that at a meeting held in October, 2020 at Deshmukh’s residence “Dyneshwari” the NCP leader gave him a list of 1,750 bars and restaurants and asked him to collect Rs 3 lakh each from these establishments for granting various favours.

    The charge-sheet has not named Deshmukh or his family members as accused, but says that Waze collected money from bars and restaurants at the behest and instructions of Deshmukh and the amount was handed over to Deshmukh’s aides Palande and Shinde.

    Deshmukh received approximately Rs 4.70 crore, collected from orchestra bar owners, and this money was routed to the Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha Trust, managed by the Deshmukh family, as donations, the ED charge sheet alleged.

    The ED launched a probe against Deshmukh and his associates after the CBI filed an FIR against the senior Nationalist Congress Party leader on April 21 following allegations made by Param Bir Singh.

  • NIA shielding Param Bir Singh in Sachin Waze case, alleges NCP

    By Express News Service

    MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday alleged that the NIA was protecting former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh in the ‘Antilia bomb scare’ case.

    As per the National Investigation Agency’s charge sheet in the case of SUV with explosives found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house ‘Antilia’, a cyber expert told it that Singh asked him to ‘modify’ a report during the initial probe.

    “As per the NIA charge sheet, Singh paid (the expert) Rs 5 lakh to create bogus evidence,” claimed NCP spokesperson and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik here.

    “It was Singh who brought expelled Sachin Waze back into police force and gave him key cases. Still, Singh’s name is not in the charge sheet,” he told reporters.

    Malik said, “It shows that the Param Bir Singh was the part of the larger conspiracy in bomb scare case. If Sachin Waze and others were made accused, then why not Singh who himself had given the bribe amount in cash. The amount was given to the police officers in Mumbai. So questions arise why NIA is shielding Singh. There must have been a larger plan which has been exposed now. Besides, it also shows that the IPS officer is used to target the Maha Vikas Aghadi with baseless charges.”

    The NIA has arrested Waze and nine others in the case. “We always suspected that Singh was the mastermind of Antilia’s case. And Singh, on the instructions from the BJP, leveled allegations against then state home minister Anil Deshmukh to malign his image,” Malik alleged.

    The Central probe agency “under the pressure of Union government” concealed several uncomfortable facts in its charge sheet, he claimed.

    After a vehicle with gelatin sticks was found near Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai house on February 25, 2021, Deshmukh had made a statement in the Assembly based on the information given by Singh, Malik said.

    The IPS officer “deliberately misled Deshmukh as well as chief minister Uddhav Thackeray,” he alleged.

    Param Bir Singh was shunted out from the post of Mumbai police commissioner after Waze was arrested in the case.

    Singh then accused Deshmukh, an NCP leader, of corruption, leading to the latter resigning as home minister in April.

    Malik further alleged that there is a modus operandi by BJP to use the IPS officers to target and tarnish the image of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. He said former CM Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders met Parambir Singh in Delhi before Singh dropping the explosive Rs 100 crore letter bomb against Anil Deshmukh.

    “Another IPS officer Rashmi Shukla also met Fadnavis in Delhi before tapping the phone of the Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders. This is very unfortunate that the BJP is fighting us by using officers as a tool. The BJP has misused the power to remain in power and get the power. We will expose the power nexus.” 

    As per the NIA’s charge sheet, a cyber expert (who had worked with Delhi Police) told Singh that a Telegram channel on which an outfit called Jaish-Ul Hind claimed responsibility for a blast outside Israel’s embassy was found to be linked to a mobile number used from inside the Tihar jail.

    Singh allegedly asked him to write a similar report and insert a poster that had appeared on another Telegram channel where Jaish Ul Hind purportedly claimed responsibility for the Antilia bomb scare.

    “Telegram channel (of) Jaish Ul Hind identified and resolved by me was different from the one on which the poster had appeared. The one resolved by me had only three to four members and there was no poster related to Antilia terror scare on that channel,” as per the cyber expert’s statement in the charge sheet.

  • ‘Antilia’ bomb scare: Sachin Waze told his driver it was ‘secret operation’, says NIA

    By PTI

    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 Thane-based 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.

    ​ALSO READ | Antilia bomb scare: Sachin Waze wanted to regain glory as ‘supercop’, says chargesheet

    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.

    He also told the NIA that Waze had asked him to take specific routes and pay toll plazas.

    “At about 2.10 am I was following the Scorpio car driven by Waze at a very slow speed on Carmichael Road. At a particular point, he stopped the Scorpio and parked it on the left side of the road,” the driver stated.

    “Accordingly, I also stopped my Innova car at a distance of about 40 to 50 meters behind the Scorpio,” he added.

    The driver further stated that he returned to the Innova car after about five minutes and removed his face mask and shield.

    ​ALSO READ | Can Mumbai cops behind reinstating Waze claim impunity? HC to CBI on Anil Deshmukh’s plea

    Waze then asked him to drive ahead, and after a while the former API (assistant police inspector) realised that his identity card was missing and asked the driver to check in the car (Innova), but it wasn’t found.

    As per his statement, they then came to Waze’s residence in neighbouring Thane district, where Waze went inside to search for his identity card.

    However, he returned after about 20 minutes, and told the driver that he had probably forgotten the card in the Scorpio.

    At around 4.30 am they returned to the Carmichael Road, where Waze went inside the Scorpio and returned after a while.

    Waze then directed the driver to take him to Thane.

    The driver also stated that Waze had taken his phone and switched it off when he reported to duty (on February 24).

    It was returned only after he drove Waze home, the driver told the NIA.

    In his statement, the driver further said when he enquired about the entire episode, Waze told him it was a “secret operation”, and asked him not to reveal it to anyone.

    “On February 26, I was attending the marriage ceremony of a colleague when I came to know about the incident from TV news channels. I was very scared on seeing the said news, but I did not tell this story to anyone,” he added.

    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.

    Hiran, who had claimed that the SUV had been stolen from his possession, was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

    Besides Waze and Pradeep Sharma, the others accused in the case are Vinayak Shinde, Naresh Gor Riyazuddin Kazi, Sunil Mane, Anand Jadhav, Satish Mothkuri, Manish Soni and Santosh Shelar.

    Shinde, Kazi and Mane are former police officers The accused have been charged under various Indian Penal Code sections, including for murder, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance, as well as relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act.

  • Nita Ambani cancelled Gujarat trip after ‘Antilia’ security threat: Staff tells NIA

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: 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.

    The statement is part of a charge sheet filed last week by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) before a special court here against dismissed police officer Sachin Waze and nine others in connection with the recovery of the vehicle with gelatin sticks near Ambani’s residence on February 25 and the subsequent murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    The residence’s security head said in his statement that after the vehicle with explosives and a threat letter were found, he immediately brought it to the notice of Mukesh Ambani.

    He also told the NIA that a scheduled visit of Nita Ambani on that day to Jamnagar in Gujarat was rescheduled and then cancelled on his and the zonal DCP’s advice.

    The security head further stated they had been receiving threats from various quarters, but all were related to farmers’ protest that began in October 2020.

    The Ambani family does not suspect any particular person for the threat letter and gelatin sticks found in the abandoned Scorpio parked illegally on the Carmichael Road here on February 25, he said in the statement.

    Former police officer Waze is the prime accsued in the case.

    As per probe agency, he also played a “pivotal role” in the murder of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    Hiran, who had claimed that the SUV had been stolen from his possession, was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane district on March 5.

    Besides Waze and fomer police officer Pradeep Sharma, the others accused in the case are Vinayak Shinde, Naresh Gor Riyazuddin Kazi, Sunil Mane, Anand Jadhav, Satish Mothkuri, Manish Soni and Santosh Shelar.

    Shinde, Kazi and Mane are former police officers.

    The accused have been charged under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including for murder, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance, as well as relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act.

    The NIA in its charge sheet said Waze placed the SUV with explosives near Ambani’s house here to regain his reputation as a “super cop”.

    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 was roped in to execute the murder.

  • Antilia bomb scare: Sachin Waze wanted to regain glory as ‘supercop’, says chargesheet

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Dismissed police officer Sachin Waze placed an SUV with explosives near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house here to regain his reputation as a “supercop”, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said in its chargesheet.

    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.

    The Central agency last week filed the charge sheet before a special court here against Waze and nine others in connection with the recovery of a vehicle with gelatin sticks near Ambani’s south Mumbai residence ‘Antilia’ on February 25 and the subsequent murder of Hiran.

    Waze, who was assistant police inspector with the Mumbai crime branch before his arrest, joined hands with others to place the SUV and a threat letter near Ambani’s residence, it said.

    “The intent was clearly to terrorize wealthy and prosperous people. Also to extort money by putting into (them) fear of dire consequences,” said the charge sheet.

    A fake post on social media platform Telegram, purportedly in the name of “Jaish Ul Hind”, was a “deliberate attempt” by Waze to add credibility to “terror act”, it said.

    “The wording on the threat note ‘agle baar connect hokar aega’ (next time the bomb will have wires connected) clearly depicts intention of Waze for furtherance (of) acts to re-establish himself as a supercop by staging a fake encounter as to regain his lost glory,” the charge-sheet said.

    Waze, who himself handled the case initially, manipulated the probe to cover up the conspiracy, it said.

    Hiran, who had claimed that the SUV had been stolen from his possession, was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

    The NIA claimed that Waze played a pivotal role in his murder.

    It was he who directed Hiran to lodge an FIR about vehicle theft when Waze himself had used the SUV for the commission of the crime (to park it near Antilia), it alleged.

    Waze tried to persuade Hiran to take responsibility for the act, but the latter refused, the NIA alleged.

    He then hatched the conspiracy to kill Hiran through Sharma and another former police officer Sunil Mane with the help of hired killers, the charge sheet said.

    Also, Waze thought of Hiran as a “weak link” in the conspiracy who could expose others so he decided to kill the Thane businessman, the agency alleged.

    After Hiran’s death, Waze tried to make it look like a case of suicide by spreading such reports through his media contacts, the NIA said.

    Sharma, a retired police officer, “willingly and intentionally” entered into the conspiracy for the execution of Hiran’s murder, the charge sheet alleged.

    Other arrested accused in the case are Vinayak Shinde, Naresh Gor, Riyazuddin Kazi, Sunil Mane, Anand Jadhav, Satish Mothkuri, Manish Soni and Santosh Shelar.

    Shinde, Kazi and Mane are former police officers.

    All the accused are booked for murder, conspiracy and kidnapping under the IPC as well as provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act.

  • NIA files charge sheet against Waze, others in Antilia bomb scare-Hiran murder case

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a charge sheet against dismissed police officer Sachin Waze and other accused in Antilia bomb scare-Mansukh Hiran murder case.

    The central probe agency filed the charge sheet before a court here.

    Besides Waze, former ‘encounter specialist’ Pradeep Sharma and a few other former police personnel are also accused in the case.

    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.

    The case relates to recovery of an explosives-laden SUV near the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani on February 25 this year.

    Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran, who had claimed that he was in possession of the SUV, was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

  • Antilia bomb scare: Ex-cop Waze admitted to private hospital in Bhiwandi after court nod

    By PTI

    THANE: Dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze, arrested in the Antilia bomb scare-Mansukh Hiran murder case, was on Tuesday admitted to a private hospital here for treatment of his heart ailment, a senior officer said, a day after a special court gave its nod for the same.

    Waze (49) was shifted to SS Hospital and Research Centre in Bhiwandi town of Thane district from the Taloja central jail in Navi Mumbai where he has been lodged under judicial custody.

    A senior police officer from Bhiwandi confirmed that the former Assistant Police Inspector has been admitted to the private hospital.

    On Monday, special judge Prashant R Sitre refused to grant the National Investigation Agency (NIA) the custody of Waze for questioning in the case and allowed his plea to get admitted to a private hospital for treatment of his heart ailment.

    The cost of treatment is to be borne by Waze and his family, the court had said.

    Waze, through his lawyer, senior advocate Sudeep Pasbola, had earlier told the court that three of his arteries had “90 per cent blockage” and that doctors had advised immediate surgery for the same.

    He had urged the court to permit him to seek private medical treatment, saying he did not wish to “die in custody like (tribal rights activist and Jesuit priest) Stan Swamy”.

    The NIA had sought further custody of Waze and a co-accused, saying it required to question them to corroborate statements of witnesses.

    Advocate Pasbola, however, objected to the same and said doctors at government-run JJ Hospital, where Waze had been earlier this month, had advised him to undergo a bypass surgery without any delay.

    Pasbola produced three medical reports to show Waze’s need for immediate medical aid.

    He said nothing was more important than a person’s life and added the investigation will be futile if the person does not survive.

    The judge, while allowing Waze to get admitted to a private hospital, directed the Taloja prison superintendent to submit his medical report before the court every 15 days.

    An explosives-laden vehicle was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai residence ‘Antilia’ on February 25.

    The vehicle owner Hiran, a Thane businessman who had claimed his car was stolen, was found dead in a creek on March 5.

    The NIA claimed Waze was involved in the planting of the explosives and Hiran’s murder, and arrested him on March 13.

    He was later dismissed from police service.