Antilia scare: NIA searches former encounter specialist’s residence

The search at Pradeep Sharma’s residence comes a day after the agency moved a plea before a special NIA court in Mumbai for permission to extend the custody of Mumbai police inspector Sunil Mane

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) searched the Andheri residence of former Mumbai police encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma on Thursday morning, about a week after the federal agency made two fresh arrests in connection with the Antilia explosives scare and subsequent murder of Thane-based auto parts dealer Mansukh Hiran.

A team of NIA in front of the residence of Pradeep Sharma in Mumbai’s Andheri (east) area on Thursday morning. (Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

The search was conducted for almost four hours from 6.45am to 10.45am. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was deployed at the building where Sharma lives in Andheri. NIA officials, comprising seven to eight personnel, including superintendent of police Vikram Khalate conducted the search and seized a printer, computer and laptop from Sharma’s house.

There is, however, no official word on the search from the NIA.

The NIA, on June 11, arrested two more persons in the twin case, Santosh Shelar and Anand Jadhav, both residents of Kurar village in Malad and both said to be close to Sharma, according to Mumbai Police.

The search at Sharma’s residence comes a day after the agency moved a plea before a special NIA court in Mumbai for permission to extend the custody of Mumbai police inspector Sunil Mane, who was arrested on April 23 for his involvement in the case.

The NIA has sought Mane’s custody to confront him with Shelar and Jadhav, who, according to the federal agency, played a role as conspirators in killing Hiran.

Mane was remanded to judicial custody on May 13. He has been lodged in Taloja prison since then.

On February 25, a Mahindra Scorpio was found abandoned near Antilia, the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, with 20 loose gelatin sticks and a threatening note addressed to the Ambani family.

A case was registered at the Gamdevi police station in connection with the episode. On March 5, Hiran, the owner of the SUV, was found dead in a creek near Mumbra, with six handkerchiefs stuffed in his mouth and his face covered by a scarf.

A separate case has been registered with Mumbra police in connection with the murder of the auto spare parts dealer.

NIA subsequently took over both the cases and clubbed them together for investigation purposes. The federal agency has so far arrested five persons in connection with the two cases, including three Mumbai police officers - controversial police officer Sachin Vaze, Riyazuddin Kazi, Vaze’s colleague at the Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai police crime branch, and inspector Sunil Mane.

Besides, NIA has also arrested former police constable Vinayak More, a life convict in the fake encounter killing of Lakhan Bhaiya, and cricket bookie Naresh Gor, both of whom allegedly helped Vaze execute the suspected murder.

Vaze was originally in charge of the investigation of the Antilia explosives scare case, but was removed after reports emerged of his links with Hiran, the owner of the SUV who had reported it stolen on February 17, 2021. It subsequently emerged that Vaze had borrowed the SUV in November and returned it in early February.

According to NIA, Mane was present at the criminal intelligence unit of the Mumbai crime branch on March 2 and 3, when Vaze purportedly tried to convince Hiran to take the blame for placing the explosives-laden SUV near Antilia. NIA officers claimed that Vaze had assured the trader that he will get Hiran out on bail in a few days. The plan to eliminate him was allegedly hatched after he refused to get arrested in the case.

NIA has also claimed that it was Mane who had made the last call to the victim around 8.30pm on March 4 and had drawn him out of his Thane home on the pretext of a meeting along Ghodbunder Road.

Meanwhile, Mane’s lawyer Aditya Gore moved an application seeking permission to meet him in prison. The plea will be heard on Thursday.