Param Bir Singh removed; Hemant Nagrale new Mumbai CP amid Sachin Vaze's arrest & scandal

With the Mumbai Police rocked amid the scandal arising from its now-suspended API Sachin Vaze's arrest, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has announced on Wednesday that Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh is being transferred. Hemant Nagrale will replace Param Bir Singh as Mumbai Police's Commissioner.

Furthermore, additional charge of Director General of Police (DGP) for Maharashtra has been handed to Rajneesh Seth whereas Sanjay Pandey will head the Maharashtra State Security Corporation. Meanwhile, the now-former Mumbai Police Commissioner, Param Bir Singh has been given the responsibility of the Home Guard. 

"Big decision of the government. Hemant Nagrale will be the new Mumbai Police Commissioner. Additional charge of the post of Director General of Police of Maharashtra State has been given to Rajneesh Sheth. Responsibility of Maharashtra State Security Corporation has been given to Sanjay Pandey. Param Bir Singh will head the Home Guard," Maharashtra HM Anil Deshmukh said in a tweet. 

The announcement by the Maharashtra Home Minister comes amid hectic back-to-back meetings over 4 days by top leaders in the Maharashtra government, the MVA allies Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, and the top police officers of the state. Sachin Vaze was arrested by the NIA and is in its custody till March 25 as the agency probes how a gelatin sticks-laden Scorpio car came to be placed outside the Antilia residence of Mukesh Ambani on February 25.

NIA's Vazegate probe: Sachin Vaze's laptop data found to be deleted; Luxury car seized

In the Antilia bomb scare probe, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seized a laptop, mobile phones, iPad and some documents from the suspended Sachin Vaze's CIU office late on Monday night. However, on Wednesday it said that the laptop was found to have had its data deleted, and that when Vaze was asked for his phone, he claimed to have dropped it somewhere. However, the central agency has also recovered cash amounting of Rs 5 lakhs, some clothes, and a cash counting machine from the black Mercedez car that it says Sachin Vaze was using. On Wednesday morning, the NIA also reached Sachin Vaze's Thane residence to carry out search operations, sources said. 

While the NIA continues to probe the bomb scare at Mukesh Ambani's Antilia residence, hectic meetings have been taking place between top officials and leaders of the Maharashtra government. Hours before Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced the replacement of Param Bir Singh, he had called on Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday morning which itself followed a late-night meeting on Tuesday at the latter's residence where the Mumbai CP and Maharashtra DGP were present. Both have now been replaced. NCP chief Sharad Pawar also held a meeting with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday as the VazeGate continued to explode. 

Sachin Vaze remanded to NIA custody till March 25

Now-suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze was arrested on March 13 by the NIA under Sections 286, 465, 473, 506(2), 120 B of the IPC, and 4(a)(b)(I)Explosive Substances Act 1908 for his alleged role and involvement in an explosives-laden vehicle being placed near Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai on February 25. He had actually been the lead investigator of the case; however, after Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the Scorpio car, was found dead under mysterious circumstances, his wife alleged that the vehicle in question was in the possession of Sachin Vaze since November 2020. After the cop's alleged connection with Mansukh Hiren came to light, and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis produced call data records to make grave allegations against Vaze, the case was transferred out of Mumbai Police's Crime Branch and subsequently to the NIA. 

Vaze was grilled for nearly 12 hours by the NIA on Saturday before being placed under arrest. Previously, a Thane Court refused anticipatory bail in the alleged murder case of Mansukh Hiren and the Antilia bomb scare probe, noting that Mansukh Hiren's wife had named the Mumbai Police officer in the FIR and that there was prima facie evidence against Vaze and hence custodial interrogation was required. The Maharashtra ATS has also launched an investigation into Mansukh Hiren's alleged murder, but Vaze's custody remains with the NIA till March 25.