Mansukh Hiran death: Fadnavis demands cop’s arrest

Leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday demanded the arrest of a police officer Sachin Vaze in connection with the death of Mansukh Hiran, an auto parts dealer linked to the SUV found parked outside billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence on February 25 with 20 sticks of gelatin and a threatening letter.

Leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday demanded the arrest of a police officer Sachin Vaze in connection with the death of Mansukh Hiran, an auto parts dealer linked to the SUV found parked outside billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence on February 25 with 20 sticks of gelatin and a threatening letter.

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Fadnavis’s comments in the Maharashtra assembly caused uproar among the legislators, who traded accusations and brought up other unrelated cases, including the death by suicide of Dadra Nagar Haveli parliamentarian Mohan Delkar in Mumbai last month, leading deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal to adjourn the penultimate day of the House in session several times.

Later in the day, state home minister Anil Deshmukh announced that a special investigation team (SIT) will be formed to probe Delkar’s death by suicide. In a note, Delkar referred to an administrator of the Union Territory who had been a minister in a BJP-led government in Gujarat.

Fadnavis accused the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of shielding Vaze and called for his arrest under section 201 of Indian Penal Code, which pertains to causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information.

Fadnavis referred to the statement that Hiran’s wife, Vimla, 43, had given to the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) after her husband’s body was found washed up in a creek in Thane district neighbouring Mumbai on March 5, hours after his family had reported him missing since the previous night.

In the statement reviewed by HT, Vimla stated that she was sure that her husband was murdered, and assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze, who heads the crime intelligence unit (CIU) of the Mumbai police crime branch, and was known to Hiran, may have committed it.

“In her statement, Mansukh Hiran’s wife has said that the car found outside Antilia, industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s South Mumbai residence, was in possession of Sachin Vaze from November 20 last year. The car was given to him for use as Hiren knew Vaze who was the former’s customer. The vehicle was with Vaze before it was returned to Hiren after four months,” Fadnavis said on Tuesday.

On March 7, the ATS registered a case of murder of the 48-year-old Thane businessman against unknown persons based on Vimla’s statement.

“She had said her husband was with Vaze on February 27, 28 and March 2. The complaint letter (of Hiran) addressed to the chief minister, home minister and police commissioners of Mumbai and Thane which surfaced in public after his death, was written on the instructions of Vaze,” Fadnavis said.

Hiran wrote the letter on March 2, after sustained interrogation by several police officers starting February 25.

Fadnavis said Hiran’s wife also claimed in her statement that her husband had told her that Vaze had asked him to get himself arrested and he would ensure his bail in a few days.

“On April 4, Mansukh told his brother Vinod to speak to a lawyer for anticipatory bail as he might be arrested. But, the lawyer said anticipatory bail will not be accepted as Mansukh is not an accused,” Fadnavis said.

Vaze did not respond to several calls and messages seeking his response to the allegations made by Vimla and the former chief minister.

Fadnavis further claimed that Hiran’s last location was found with Dhananjay Vithal Gawde, against whom an FIR was lodged in 2017 for seeking a ransom of ₹40 lakh. The other person who was mentioned in the FIR is Sachin Vaze, Fadnavis said.

“The last location of Hiren before his death was at Gawade’s office in Thane, 40-km away from the creek where the body was found. The Anti-Terrorism Squad has been investigation case of murder, but Vaze should first be arrested under section 201 of Indian Penal Code,” Fadnavis said.

“I deny of any involvement with Sachin Vaze or Mansukh Hiran,” Dhananjay Gawde, a former Shiv Sena corporator in Vasai, said. “I closed my old office two years ago so how can anyone say that the location [of the body] was near my office,” Gawde, who was later expelled from the party, added.

Vimla’s statement

The days leading up to Hiran’s mysterious death saw him cooperate with various police officers investigating this matter, Vimla told the ATS investigators.

The vehicle belonged to a certain Dr Peter Newton who was known to her deceased husband. The SUV – a Scorpio -- was in possession of the Hirans for the past three years. Hiran, who knew Vaze well, lent him the Scorpio in November 2020. Vaze’s driver dropped off the car at Hiran’s shop in Thane, on February 5, 2021.

On February 17, at around 6.30pm, Hiran took the vehicle heading towards south Mumbai, the statement read. However, its steering was not smooth which prompted Hiran to park the car on the side of the road, and proceed further by a taxi.

The following day, the statement added, Hiran took a mechanic with him to bring the vehicle back. However, when he reached the spot, he found that the car had been stolen following which he lodged a complaint with Vikroli police station.

“On February 25, an ATS official named Salvi called my husband and asked him to meet him in the building compound. My husband and son went down and met Salvi, who showed them a picture on his phone of an SUV found near Ambani’s house. My husband identified the vehicle and also informed him that he had filed a complaint with the Vikroli police station that it had been stolen. He also showed the FIR copy to him,” Vimla’s statement read.

The same night ATS officer Shivaji Chavan visited their residence and and took Hiran to the Vikroli ATS unit. There, he was shown some CCTV footage. He was brought back to his house at 6.30am on February 26, the statement added.

For three days, Hiran was called for questioning by the Mumbai police crime branch and he had told his wife that Vaze had been with him throughout, the statement said.

On March 2, Hiran wrote a letter to various authorities complaining that he was being harassed by police of various units and police stations and a particular media person, who kept calling repeatedly. Vimla said that she had asked him if he had been tortured, which Hiran denied.

The following day, Hiran told her that Vaze had advised him to get arrested in case and he would be out on bail within a few days, the statement read.

On March 4, Vimala said that her husband returned from his shop at 8.30pm and told her that he was going to meet a police officer named Tawade, somewhere along Ghodbunder Road.

Vimala told the investigating team that when she tried calling her husband at 11pm, his mobile phone was switched off. Later at night, her son spoke to Hiran’s brother, Vinod to inform him that Hiran had not returned home. Vinod called Vaze, who reportedly expressed surprise at the meeting and informed Vinod that Hiran had not mentioned that he was going to meet Tawde.

The following morning, Hiran’s son Meet and Vinod lodged a missing person’s report at Naupada police station. Hiran’s body was discovered later in the afternoon, and Vinod went to identify it at Kalwa hospital in Mumbra.

Hiran’s body was found in a creek at Mumbra and when police removed it, five to six handkerchiefs were stuffed in his mouth, and the mouth was covered by a scarf.

Vimala claimed that her husband was a good swimmer and could not have died by drowning.

“Taking into consideration all the above circumstances, I am sure that my husband was murdered,” the last few lines of the statement read. “I suspect Sachin Vaze could have committed the said murder.”

Shiv Sena leader and parliamentary affairs minister Anil Parab demanded action in Delkar’s suicide in response to Fadnavis’s accusation. Parab said that Delkar mentioned administrator of the Union Territory Praful Kheda Patel in his suicide note. Patel was earlier a minister in the Narendra Modi-led cabinet in Gujarat. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh later announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would probe Delkar’s suicide.

The Union government on Monday asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation.