Car used for Hiran’s murder brought by cop Sunil Mane: Mumbai Police chief in dismissal order

Former Mumbai crime branch inspector Sunil Dharma Mane, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran, has been dismissed summarily from service

Former Mumbai crime branch inspector Sunil Dharma Mane, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran, has been dismissed summarily from service.

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Mumbai Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Tuesday issued the order of Mane’s dismissal under Article 311(2) (B) of the Constitution without holding a disciplinary inquiry.

The police said that based on the findings of NIA’s probe about Mane’s role in the serious case, his dismissal procedure was initiated.

The dismissal order (of which HT has a copy) stated that Mane borrowed a Volkswagen car from his friend which was used for Hiran’s abduction and murder.

“Mane had collected mobile phones and SIM cards from main accused API (assistant police inspector) Sachin Vaze and used it for impersonation and abduction of Hiran. Importantly, Mane also called Hiran using a fictitious name ‘Mr. Tawde, police inspector from Kandivli,’ and called him out of his house and took him to the spot where he was killed (sic),” the commissioner’s order read.

The order further stated that when Mane’s house was searched, NIA found incriminating documents, while the agency seized photocopies of four vehicle registration documents, photocopies of three agreements and three bank passbooks from a firm related to him at Goregaon (West).

Mane’s disclosure statement has also pointed out the places in and around Thane and Palghar areas, which were relevant to the crime being investigated by NIA.

It has also been revealed in the probe that in order to camouflage his identity on the day of Hiran’s murder, Mane had handed over his mobile phone and bag to a witness and asked the latter to deposit them at his residence, so as to mislead the investigation agency.

“Mane allegedly abused his official position and instead of upholding the law, misused his position to commit serious crimes, becoming a part of conspiracy, destruction of evidence etc., having propensity to seriously jeopardise law and order in the state. He was fully aware of duties and responsibilities assigned to him as police officer and was duty bound for keeping utmost integrity and its strict enforcement and compliance,” Nagrale observed in the order.

The police chief also observed that Mane’s conduct is more like a seasoned criminal rather than a police officer and he shows the very grave delinquency, which is enough to justify his dismissal.

On February 25, a Scorpio car was found abandoned near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai residence Antilia with 20 loose gelatin sticks and a threatening note addressed to the industrialist. A case was registered with Gamdevi police station on the same day.

Vaze was originally in charge of the investigation of the case, but was removed after reports emerged of his links with Hiran, who was in possession of the SUV and had reported it stolen on February 17. On March 5, Hiran was found dead at a Mumbra creek. It was later discovered that Vaze had borrowed Hiran’s car in November and returned it in February.

NIA took over the explosives case on March 8 and Vaze was named the main accused. He was arrested by NIA on March 13. On March 24, the agency began probing the murder too, and Vaze was again named the main accused.

After finding serving policemen allegedly involved in the heinous crime, the Maharashtra government, in order to contain the damage, transferred the then commissioner Param Bir Singh for his alleged poor management of the case. Singh subsequently wrote a letter to the chief minister, alleging that the then home minister Anil Deshmukh had instructed Vaze and some other Mumbai Police officers to extort ₹100 crore from bars, restaurants and hookah parlours. Singh approached the courts after no action was taken against Deshmukh.

The Bombay high court eventually asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the matter, prompting Deshmukh’s resignation. Accordingly, the Central agency registered an offence against Deshmukh on April 24.

Mane, a 1995-batch Maharashtra Police service officer, was in charge of Mumbai crime branch’s unit 11 till he was recently shunted out to the local arms division as a part of the clean-up drive undertaken by Nagrale, after Vaze was arrested by NIA in both the cases.

According to NIA sources, Mane, who was arrested by the central agency on April 23, was purportedly part of the conspiracy hatched to eliminate Hiran. He was present at crime intelligence unit (CIU) office on March 3, when Vaze purportedly tried to convince Hiran to take the blame for placing the explosives-laden Scorpio near Antilia. The plan to eliminate Hiran was allegedly hatched after the 48-year-trader refused to take the blame and get arrested in the case.

Beside Mane and Vaze, Riyazuddin Kazi and former constable Vinayak Shinde, who is serving life imprisonment in a fake encounter killing, have also been dismissed from service last month after their arrests by NIA. A cricket bookie Naresh Ramniklal Gor is also among those arrested. All the accused are in judicial custody.