Antilia case: NIA wants to probe terror angle, seeks 90-day extension for filing charge sheet

The special court on Tuesday sought replies of the accused booked in connection with the Antilia explosives scare and the subsequent murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran to the plea filed by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) seeking a 90-day extension to file the charge sheet against the five accused

The special court on Tuesday sought replies of the accused booked in connection with the Antilia explosives scare and the subsequent murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran to the plea filed by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) seeking a 90-day extension to file the charge sheet against the five accused. The special court has now posted the plea for further hearing on Wednesday.

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NIA in its application claimed that the possible involvement of a terrorist organisation, Jaish-ul-Hind, and its alleged demand for money from industrialist Mukesh Ambani needs a deeper probe.

The agency also sought an extension of the detention period of the five accused – former Mumbai Police personnel Sachin Vaze, Riyazuddin Kazi and Sunil Mane and Vinayak Shinde, and cricket bookie Naresh Gor – for 90 more days. The agency, while seeking extension of their custody, claimed that the accused “will in all possible manner threaten the prosecution witnesses, cause destruction of material evidences/articles, tamper with the evidences collected by NIA, thus, hampering the very purpose of investigation of this case.”

On February 25, an SUV was found abandoned near Ambani’s residence Antilia with explosives and a threatening note addressed to the businessman. Hiran, the owner of the SUV, who had reported it stolen on February 17 was found dead on March 5 in a creek near Mumbra. NIA took over the cases and Vaze was arrested in March.