Antilia bomb scare: Waze questions NIA’s claim that he planted explosive-laden SUV

The former police officer submitted in court CCTV footage and a television interview of a witness that purportedly contradicts the prosecution’s account

MUMBAI: Former police officer Sachin Waze on Friday questioned the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) claim that he had parked the explosive-laden SUV outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, Antilia, in February 2021, and fled in a trailing getaway vehicle.

Sachin Waze is the key accused in the high-profile Antilia bomb scare case.

In an application filed before the special NIA court, Waze submitted CCTV footage and a television interview of a witness that purportedly contradicts the prosecution’s account.

Waze is the key accused in the high-profile bomb scare case and the subsequent murder of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran, who owned the Mahindra Scorpio found outside Antilia with 20 loose gelatin sticks and a note threatening the Ambani family.

On Friday, Waze filed an application, through advocates Aarti Kalekar and Disha Hatkar, to dispute the NIA’s claim that he had parked the explosive-laden Scorpio outside Antilia and then gotten into a trailing Toyota Innova, which served as the getaway vehicle.

The former assistant police inspector submitted CCTV footage from a store opposite the spot where the Scorpio was found on Carmichael Road on February 25, 2021. The footage purportedly showed an Innova stopping eight to ten feet away from the parked Scorpio before moving ahead, with no one seen getting out of the Scorpio and entering the Innova.

Waze argued that this contradicted the statement of a key prosecution witness, who claimed to have driven the Innova that night. According to the witness account reproduced in the application, the Innova trailed the Scorpio and was 40-50 metres behind when the SUV was parked on Carmichael Road around 2.10 am. The witness stated that Waze remained inside the Scorpio for about five minutes before walking towards the Innova, carrying a black bag and leaving the spot in it.

The former cop also produced a second video—a television interview from February 26, 2021, with the shopkeeper of a store near the crime scene. In the interview, the shopkeeper purportedly stated that he could not see how the Scorpio’s driver got out of the vehicle and left.

Waze also claimed that the CCTV footage was broadcast as recently as September 4, during an interview with former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. He alleged that the NIA had suppressed crucial evidence despite the Gamdevi police having seized the store’s original digital video recorder on February 26, 2021. The court has directed the NIA to file its response to Waze’s application.

Earlier this week, the Bombay High Court had questioned the NIA on the evidence it relied upon to establish that Waze had parked the Scorpio outside Antilia.

“Where is the material to show that it’s actually Waze who parked the vehicle? How did you connect the dots?” the high court had asked the federal agency. The high court made the remarks while hearing the NIA’s appeal against the special NIA court’s order granting Waze bail in the case.

While granting bail, the trial court had noted that the agency failed to justify anti-terror charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and there was no evidence on record to show that the Ambani family had been terrorised.

The NIA has alleged that Waze orchestrated the bomb scare and was involved in Hiran’s murder. According to the agency, the former cop wanted to create terror for two reasons: to extort ransom money and subsequently to portray himself as a “super cop” by pretending to solve the high-profile case.