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Tag: Sachin Waze

  • Disproportionate assets case: ACB begins open inquiry against dismissed Mumbai cop Sachin Waze

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has initiated an open inquiry against dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, an official said on Friday.

    The open inquiry has been started on the orders of the Director General of the ACB as the agency was informed that Waze has been dismissed from police service, he said.

    “The ACB officials will investigate Waze’s movable and immovable assets as well as the sources of his wealth,” he said.

    Waze was arrested in March this year by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged role in planting an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai on February 25 and the subsequent murder of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran, who was in possession of that vehicle.

    During the investigation carried out by the NIA into the case, Rs 1.5 crore were found in a bank account of a firm floated by Waze, the official said.

    It also came to light that Waze had allegedly given a total of around Rs 76 lakh to an aide in the recent past.

    After Waze’s arrest, the NIA had told a special court that it wanted to ascertain the source of this money and find out if he was extorting for himself or others.

    The central investigative agency said it also wanted to find out how an officer of Waze’s level could have so much money.

    “Two anonymous complaints of bribery and disproportionate assets were filed against Waze in the past,” he said.

    Waze, a 1990-batch officer of the Maharashtra cadre, who was also known as an “encounter cop”, was dismissed from service last month, days after his suspension following the arrest by the NIA in the SUV-cum-murder case on March 13.

    Waze, who was earlier suspended for 16 years in a case related to alleged custodial death of a bomb blast accused, was reinstated in the Mumbai police force in June 2020.

    Post-reinstatement, he was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the crime branch and handling high profile cases, including the fake TRP case, fake social media followers case, among others.

  • Ambani security scare case: NIA arrests ex-‘encounter specialist’ Pradeep Sharma

    By PTI
    The National Investigative Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested former cop Pradeep Sharma in Mumbai for his alleged involvement in the ‘Antilia’ bomb scare case and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran, an official said.

    An NIA team had picked up Sharma from Lonavla near Mumbai late on Wednesday night, after which he was brought to the central agency’s office in south Mumbai for questioning, he said.

    “The NIA also conducted a raid at his residence located in J B Nagar in Mumbai’s Andheri (west) around 6 am, and the operation continued for several hours. The officials recovered some incriminating documents from his house,” the official said.

    After questioning him for a few hours, the NIA placed him under arrest on Thursday, he said, adding that Sharma will be produced before a local court once a medical examination is conducted on him.

    Around two months ago, the NIA had questioned Sharma at its office for two days after his name cropped up in the case.

    Sharma is the fifth person from the police department to be arrested in the case by the NIA. This is the eighth over arrest in the case.

    ALSO READ | Deshmukh bribery scandal: CBI questions Sachin Waze, Param Bir Singh, Sanjay Patil

    Earlier, the agency had arrested police officers Sachin Waze, Riyazuddin Kazi, Sunil Mane. After their arrest, they were dismissed from service.

    The agency had also arrested former police constable Vinayak Shinde in this connection along with cricket bookie Naresh Gor.

    On June 11, the NIA held Santosh Shelar and Anand Jadhav from suburban Malad, saying that both of them were involved in the conspiracy to plant the explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence.

    The SUV was found abandoned near Ambani’s south Mumbai residence ‘Antilia’ on February 25 this year.

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

    Sachin Waze, the prime accused of placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s house Antilia in Mumbai on February 25, has been arrested by the NIA as well.

    Waze was also accused of the murder of Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the vehicle that was found containing explosives materials outside Anitilia.

    Waze, an API in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of Mumbai Police was dismissed from service in May 2021.

  • Uddhav government files plea in HC objecting to portions of FIR against Deshmukh

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has filed a petition before the Bombay High Court alleging that some portions of the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh were intended to “destabilise” the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition in the State.

    The state has sought that the CBI be directed to remove the said portions from its FIR.

    In its plea filed in the HC on April 30, the government claimed that the CBI, in the FIR, had included the issue of last year’s reinstatement of now suspended Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze, and transfers of some other police officers.

    These issues were not part of the complaint registered against Deshmukh and former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh by lawyer Jaishri Patil, the state government said.

    On April 5, the high court, while hearing a bunch of pleas, including one filed by Patil, had directed the CBI to initiate a preliminary inquiry into the allegations of misconduct and corruption made against Deshmukh by Singh.

    Patil had registered a complaint following the allegations and sought that the alleged roles of both Deshmukh and Singh be probed.

    Patil had earlier told the HC that she had lodged the complaint against both Deshmukh and Singh at the Malabar hill police station on March 21, but the police had failed to conduct a preliminary inquiry and register an FIR.

    Patil had said in her complaint that both Deshmukh and Singh had acted in “breach of their professional duties during the entire episode”.

    The HC had at the time said that the CBI must base its preliminary probe on Patil’s complaint and register an FIR if it felt that an offence was committed.

    In its plea in the HC, the state government has said that Patil’s complaint and petition did not deal with Waze or any police transfers.

    The central agency, thus, could not have included those in its FIR, it said.

    The plea said that the CBI’s FIR had travelled beyond the limits permitted by the High Court.

    It said that the CBI had “demonstrated its intention to carry out fishing and a roving inquiry into the administration of the state government.”

    The CBI has done so “in order to try and find out some material enabling political groups that are presently not in power in the Petitioner State, to try and destabilise the present government,” the plea submitted.

    The government said that it did not intend to interfere with CBI’s investigation but only wanted such portions deleted that did not confirm with the HC’s order.

    Transfer of officials and reinstatement of Waze fell within the administrative domain of the state, the petition said.

    “Issues pertaining to transfer and posting of officials” cannot form a part of the investigation in the FIR,” it contended.

    “None of the impugned paragraphs objected to by us disclose any cognizable offence contemplated by Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) of the Prevention of Corruption Act),” the petition reads.

    The state has sought that in the interim, the HC restrain the CBI from acting in furtherance of the two paragraphs in the FIR that it has objected to.

    The HC is yet to assign a date for hearing the plea.

    Deshmukh had resigned after the HC ordered a CBI probe against him into allegations of corruption and misconduct levelled by Singh.

    Deshmukh’s party, the NCP, is a key ally in the Shiv Sena-led government in which the Congress is also a partner.

  • Ambani bomb scare case: Cop Riyaz Kazi gets judicial custody till April 23

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: A court here on Friday remanded police officer Riyaz Kazi, an associate of suspended cop Sachin Waze, in judicial custody till April 23 in connection with the case of an explosives-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence and the subsequent death Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    Kazi, an assistant police inspector, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on April 11.

    He was produced before a holiday court here at the end of his NIA remand on Friday.

    The court sent him to judicial custody as the central probe agency did not seek his further remand.

    The NIA has alleged that Kazi is involved in the conspiracy of the case, along with Waze, who is the prime accused.

    Kazi was involved in destroying the evidence, the agency has alleged.

    The NIA had earlier said that in its parallel probe it had launched soon after the explosives-laden vehicle was spotted on February 25, it found that the accused allegedly killed Hiran, who was in possession of that vehicle, fearing that he will disclose their plan.

    After the case was transferred to the NIA, the accused started destroying evidences like CPU and DVR, it had said.

    Days after the SUV was found near Ambani’s residence, Hiran was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

    The NIA had arrested Waze on March 13 in connection with its probe into the case.

    Besides the duo, the probe agency has arrested Vinayak Shinde, a former policeman and Naresh Gor, a bookie.

    They are currently in judicial custody.

    After Kazi was remanded in the judicial custody, his lawyer moved a plea seeking protection and security for the accused in prison.

    Taking note of the application, the court asked the jail authorities to ensure safety and security of the accused.

    Meanwhile, Waze, who is also in judicial custody currently, sought court’s permission to speak to his lawyer on phone for 20 minutes.

    The court allowed him to speak to his lawyer for 15 minutes once a week.

  • Ambani security scare case: NIA probing ‘fake encounter’ angle

    During a search of Waze #39;s house in Thane, the National Investigation Agency, which is conducting a probe into the case, had recovered the passport of a man, whose identity has not been revealed.

  • CBI calls former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh for questioning on Wednesday

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The CBI has called former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh for questioning on Wednesday in connection with allegations of corruption levelled against him by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh and suspended officer Sachin Waze, officials said.

    Waze, an assistant police inspector, is under investigation in the case of an explosive-laden SUV found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai.

    The notice calling Deshmukh to join the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe was issued on Monday morning, a day after his two aides Sanjeev Palande and Kundan recorded their statements before the agency, the officials said.

    The CBI is carrying out a preliminary inquiry into allegations against Deshmukh levelled by Singh after he was removed from the coveted post of Mumbai Police commissioner.

    The allegations were reportedly corroborated by Waze in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the SUV case, they said.

    The Bombay High Court had last week directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations levelled by Singh against Deshmukh.

      In a letter, Singh had said that Deshmukh had asked Waze to allegedly extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai, the officials said.

  • Deshmukh’s aides grilled in extortion case; NIA arrests Sachin Waze’s associate

    By Express News Service
    MUMBAI: The CBI on Sunday questioned two personal staffers of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with the allegations of extortion leveled against him by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh.

    Deshmukh’s personal assistant Kundan Shinde and personal secretary Sanjeev Palande appeared before the CBI team in connection with its ongoing preliminary enquiry at the DRDO guest house in Santacruz.

    Parambir Singh, in his explosive letter, had claimed that Palande was present when Deshmukh had allegedly asked Sachin Waze to extort Rs 100 crore each month from various bars and restaurants in Mumbai. Waze, too, in his statement to the NIA had claimed that Shinde was present during one such conversation. Waze has since been arrested by the NIA in the Antilia bomb scare case.

    The CBI has so far recorded the statements of Singh, Sachin Waze, DCP Raju Bhujbal, ACP Sanjay Patil, advocate Jayshree Patil, a petitioner, and hotel owner Mahesh Shetty. Singh had moved the Bombay High Court after he was shunted out as the Mumbai Police Commissioner and dissed by Deshmukh.

    Taking note of the serious ness of the allegations, the HC had ordered a preliminary enquiry into the case by CBI and set a 15-day deadline for its report. Hours after the April 5 HC order, Deshmukh had resigned from the cabinet.

    Meanwhile, the NIA on Sunday arrested police officer Riyaz Kazi, an associate of suspended cop Sachin Waze, in connection with the case of an explosives-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, a police official said.

    After his arrest, Kazi was produced before a holiday court here which remanded him in the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) custody till April 16 for further probe into the case.

    “Assistant police inspector (API) Kazi was called for questioning again by the NIA on Sunday and later placed under arrest,” the police official said.

    He was previously also questioned multiple times by the NIA in connection with the case of the SUV with explosives found near Ambani’s multi-storey residence ‘Antilia’ in south Mumbai on February 25 and the subsequent death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    Kazi was shunted out of the Mumbai Crime Branch last month, the official said.

    After Kazi was presented in the court on Sunday, the NIA told the court that he was arrested for destroying evidences and that he is involved in the conspiracy of the case along with Waze, the main accused in the case.

    While seeking his remand for 10 days, the prosecution said that when the NIA startedconducting a parallel probe soon after explosives-laden vehicle was found, the accused allegedly killed Hiran fearing that he will disclose their plan.

    The prosecution also submitted that Kazi was well aware of the crime.

    After the case was transferred to the central agency, the accused started destroying evidences like CPU and DVR and others, the NIA told the court.

    Kazi’s custody is required to confront him with every recovered article, documents, witnesses.

    Waze has given half the facts andKazi’s interrogation iss required to find out under whose guidance he destroyed the evidence, it said.

    He also needs to be interrogated about the source of the gelatin sticks (found in the SUV).

    Opposing the remand plea, Kazi’s lawyer, Hasnain Kazi, argued that his client was not involved in the destruction of evidence.

    The accused has been going to the NIA office for interrogation since the last20 days and co-operating with theinvestigation, hence his custody was not required, the lawyer said.

    After hearing both the sides, the judge remanded the accused to NIA’s custody till April 16.

    According to police, in a CCTV footage, Kazi was seen entering a number plates shop in suburban Vikhroli and having a conversation with the outlet’s owner.

    He was also seen taking away a digital video recorder and a computer of the shop.

    Kazi was also seen collecting CCTV footage from Waze’s housing complex in neighbouring Thane, the official said.

    The probe agency suspects that Kazi assisted Waze in obtaining fake number plates used for the SUV found with explosives near Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai, he said.

    Hiran, who was in possession of the SUV, was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

    The NIA arrested Waze on March 13 in connection with its probe into the case.

    The probe agency had also arrested former policeman Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gor.

    All the three are currently in judicial custody.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Ambani bomb scare case: NIA produces Sachin Waze’s aid Riyaz Kazi before court

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested Riyaz Kazi, an associate of suspended Mumbai Police API Sachin Waze and produced him before a holiday court in connection with the Antilia bomb scare and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiren.

    As per sources, the ex-CIU officer Qazi faces charges of destroying important evidence.

    Kazi was transferred out of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch earlier in March. Sources said that Kazi destroyed vital evidence related to the case such as a fake number plate and, DigitalALSO READ | Param Bir vs Anil Deshmukh: Former Maharashtra Home Minister’s assistants called for questionin

    Video Recorder (DVR) of the Society of Sachin Waze’s residence. He was seen in several garages where he got fake number plates made and later confiscated the DVRs from all the garages and destroyed them.

    Earlier, on Friday, the NIA had recorded the statement of Mahesh Shetty, a bar owner who is close to Sachin Waze, in connection with the above-mentioned case.

    Waze, who was Assistant Police Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) and later transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at Mumbai Police Headquarters after his name came up in Mansukh Hiren’s death case, was sent to NIA custody till March 25.

    On Friday Waze was produced before a special NIA court that sent him to judicial custody till April 23 in connection with his role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s house Antilia in Mumbai on February 25 and Mansukh Hiren death case.

    Hiren, the owner of the vehicle that was found containing explosives materials outside Anitilia, was found dead on March 5 in Thane.

    Kazi was shunted out of the Mumbai Crime Branch last month, the official said.

  • Security threat to Ambanis: Ajit Pawar refutes charges made against him by Waze; CBI seeks access to case papers

    By PTI
    PUNE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said the allegations made by suspended police officer Sachin Waze against him in a letter were completely false and he had neither met the cop nor spoken to him ever.

    Pawar called for an inquiry into the allegations to make things crystal clear.

    His remarks come a day after Waze claimed in his letter that he was approached by one Darshan Ghodawat, who introduced himself as a “very close circle person” of junior Pawar, and insisted him (Waze) to collect a monthly amount of Rs 100 crore from illegal gutka sellers.

    “I laughed when I saw my name in the letter. I never met him (Waze), nor I have spoken to him ever. Everyone knows my strict working style. So conduct an inquiry,” Pawar told reporters.

    “Let there be an inquiry and there will be ‘doodh ka dhoodh, pani ka pani’ (things will become crystal clear),” he said, adding that the allegations made in the letter were completely false.

    He was speaking on the sidelines of campaigning for the upcoming bypoll for the Pandharpur-Mangalvedha assembly constituency.

    Waze, who was reinstated in the police force last year, made the sensational claim in a letter which he tried to submit before a special NIA court in Mumbai on Wednesday.

    However, special judge PR Sitre refused to take his letter on record.

    Waze, an accused in the case of an explosives-laden car found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai and the death of businessman Mansukh Hiran, is currently in the National Investigation Agency’s custody.

    Pawar added that an attempt to destabilise the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was on.

    “For the last three days, it has been going on that another wicket will fall (another minister will resign). I do not understand how these people can know such things in advance,” he said.

    When asked about the blame game that is going on between Centre and the state over the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Pawar said the state is not getting enough number of vaccines.

    “In haste, the Centre sent vaccines to other countries. I can understand that the neighbourly relations need to be maintained with other countries, but at the same time, the Centre should fulfil the states’ requirement,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the CBI on Thursday approached a special NIA court here seeking access to papers of the case related to bomb scare at Mukesh Ambani’s house for its preliminary enquiry into allegations of corruption against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

    The CBI’s latest plea came a day after special NIA judge PR Sitre allowed the central agency’s application to question Waze.

    Waze (49) was arrested on March 13 for his alleged role in the case of an explosives-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambanis house, ‘Antilia’, in south Mumbai on February 25 and the subsequent death of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    The CBI claimed documents related to the explosives case will aid it in questioning Waze.

    The special court kept the matter for hearing on Friday.

    Following an order of the Bombay High Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) late Tuesday night registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) to probe corruption allegations levelled by former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh against Deshmukh.

    Singh was shifted from the post of Mumbai police commissioner to the Home Guards department on March 17.

    The IPS officer later filed a petition in the HC seeking a CBI probe against Deshmukh, alleging the NCP leader had asked Waze and other police officers to extort Rs 100 crore from restaurants and bars.

    Deshmukh, who has rejected allegations levelled against him, resigned from the cabinet on April 5 after the HC order.

  • Deshmukh bribery scandal: CBI questions Sachin Waze, Param Bir Singh, Sanjay Patil

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The CBI questioned former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh and suspended police officer Sachin Waze on Thursday in connection with its preliminary inquiry into allegations of corruption against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, officials said.

    Going full throttle on its inquiry in view of the deadline given by the Bombay High Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also questioned Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sanjay Patil, they said.

    Singh had reportedly written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that Deshmukh had called Patil to his residence, where his personal staff asked the police officer to target bars and restaurants in the millennium city to collect about Rs 50 crore, the officials said.

    Patil has reportedly claimed that he had met Deshmukh along with other officers to brief him about a raid, but had never met him after that.

    He is understood to have told the Mumbai police’s internal inquiry team that he met Waze in office, where the latter asked him about the collection of Rs three lakh each from bars.

    Patil has also claimed that he does not know about any meeting between Waze and Deshmukh, according to reports.

    The officers also met Mumbai-based lawyer Jayshree Patil, on whose petition the high court had ordered the preliminary inquiry by the CBI.

    The agency started its preliminary inquiry into allegations of bribery against Deshmukh on Tuesday on the orders of the high court.

    It sent a team of officers from Delhi to Mumbai to carry out the probe.

    API Waze, posted in the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Mumbai police, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case related to the recovery of an explosives-laden sports utility vehicle (SUV) near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house in the Maharashtra capital on March 25 and the subsequent killing of its owner, Mansukh Hiran.

    The CBI had taken permission from a special court to question Waze.

    Singh was transferred from the police commissioner’s post following Waze’s arrest by the NIA.

    After his transfer from the police commissioner’s post, he alleged that Deshmukh had asked police officers, including Waze, to extort Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants.

    Singh had approached the Bombay High Court through a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a CBI probe into the allegations of corruption against Deshmukh.

    A criminal writ petition was also filed by Jayshree Patil, on which the high court ordered the CBI probe and disposed of all other petitions related to the matter.

    On Monday, the high court gave 15 days to the central agency to conduct the preliminary inquiry into the allegations.

    A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni said this was an “extraordinary” and “unprecedented” case that warranted an independent inquiry.

    In its 52-page judgment, the bench said Singh’s allegations against Deshmukh had put the citizens’ faith in the state police at stake.

    Such allegations, made by a serving police officer against the state home minister, could not be left unattended and were required to be probed if, prima facie, they made out a case of a cognizable offence, the court had said.