Sachin Vaze, Antilia Bomb scare & Mansukh Hiren death accused, dismissed by Mumbai Police

In the latest development, arrested Mumbai Police API Sachin Vaze, an accused in the Antilia bomb scare probe and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiren, has been dismissed from service on Tuesday. The order to dismiss Sachin Vaze, who is currently lodged in Taloja jail, from service was passed by new Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Tuesday. Mumbai Police had initiated the proceedings to dismiss Sachin Vaze from service earlier in April shortly after his arrest.   

Along with his aide & suspended API Riyaz Kazi, Sachin Vaze is being probed in connection with the Mansukh Hiren death case as well. The NIA also secured the custody of Mumbai Police's Crime Branch Inspector Sunil Mane. He was confronted with the alleged confessions made by Kazi and Vaze in their statements to the central agency. As per sources, Mane was present at a meeting between the suspended APIs and was reportedly involved in passing on SIM cards procured from Vaze to other officials who were involved in the case. Sources added that he allegedly pressurised businessman Mansukh Hiren to take the blame for the Antilia bomb scare. NIA was also reportedly probing the 'fake encounter' angle in the Antilia bomb scare case which was alleged to have been initially planned in the Maruti Eeco vehicle, which was stolen from Maharashtra's Aurangabad city.

Recovery of luxury vehicles

NIA has traced a luxury Italian sports bike 'Benelli' from Daman that was registered in the name of 'mystery woman' since identified as Meena George, who is under the agency's scanner for her alleged connections with Sachin Vaze. NIA has seized eight different vehicles which were allegedly used by Sachin Vaze for various reasons surrounding the period of the incident. These include a Green Scorpio and white Innova mentioned above, two black Mercedez Benz cars, a Land Cruiser Prado, a black Volvo, and a white Mitsubishi Outlander, with the last being the only one that is owned by Vaze, though he used all the others in some way or the other. Besides tracing the bike, the NIA has also recovered other important documents related to arrested inspector Sachin Vaze, sources said on Monday. Sachin Vaze was also taken to the Mithi river on March 28 from where the NIA and the divers recovered the contents of his CIU office, including computers, hard disks, a printer, two identical fake number plates, CCTV DDRs and more.

Antilia bomb scare & Mansukh Hiren death case

On February 25, at around 3 PM, a car (green Scorpio) laden with explosive gelatin sticks along with a threatening letter was found by Mumbai Police, outside the Ambani residence - Antilia. A primary investigation from the CCTV revealed that the car had been parked near the residence in the intervening night prior. Later, on March 5, Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the car in question, was found dead at the Kalwa creek - with police claiming that he committed suicide by jumping into the stream. The deceased's wife, however, alleged murder and put forth that Sachin Vaze was actually using the car since November.

Shortly, then-Mumbai API Sachin Vaze who had actually been put in charge of the Antilia case, was arrested by NIA on March 13 for his alleged involvement. While Vaze has been suspended again from police service amid the NIA arresting him and taking him into custody, his superior - then Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh was transferred to Home Guards due to 'lapses' in the probe. He then sent an 8-page letter to CM Thackeray, HM Anil Deshmukh and Gov Koshyari alleging that Deshmukh had demanded from Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore from 1750 pubs in Mumbai per month. Deshmukh was forced to resign from his post after a CBI inquiry was ordered against him by the Bombay HC, since upheld by the Supreme Court. Vaze, meanwhile, has been sent to judicial custody at Taloja jail till April 23 in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case, while Maharashtra govt has ordered an inquiry into Param Bir Singh as to how Vaze went 'rouge' in the Antilia case while under Singh. The CBI is also probing Anil Deshmukh whereas in another Tuesday development, the ED has also filed a case.

The fall from grace for Sachin Vaze has been even swifter than his rise, after he was brought in under suspicious circumstances after almost two decades of suspension from the force, during which time he also became a Shiv Sena politician and lost an election. As a Mumbai Police internal inquiry determined, Vaze was effectively given control of the Crime Branch over other senior officers, and took charge of key cases including the TRP case in which there was a concerted weeks-long attempt to fix Republic Media Network. Most shockingly, he was given charge of probing the Antilia bomb scare case as well, something that appears more and more as a terrifying prospect given his own involvement in the matter later coming to light.