NIA divers fish out Vaze’s hardware from riverbed

Maharashtra home minister Deshmukh announces probe by a retired high court judge against himself.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday took former assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze to a spot near the Mithi river in a bid to recover crucial evidence with the help of professional divers, even as officials said the suspended policeman tried to destroy proof related to investigations into an explosives-laden car found near billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence and the death of a man linked to the vehicle.

A diver fishes out a number plate from the Mithi river in Mumbai on Sunday. (ANI)

The development came on a day Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said a retired high court judge will conduct a probe into allegations of corruption levelled against him by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh, who was removed amid investigations into the two cases that have also triggered political slugfest in the state.

NIA investigators recovered two digital video recorders (DVRs), two CPUs, a laptop and two vehicle registration plates with the help of divers, a police official said on condition of anonymity. The central agency is probing the cases of the recovery of the car outside the south Mumbai residence of Ambani and the subsequent death of businessman Mansukh Hiran.

Watch | Sachin Vaze taken from jail to river; divers find laptop, car plates

Vaze was arrested on March 13 for his alleged role in planting the explosives-laden car. He has also been accused of masterminding Hiran’s murder.

“During interrogation of accused Sachin Vaze, he disclosed willingly to show the place where he threw the material used in the crime and destroyed the evidence. Accordingly, two independent witnesses were called and his voluntary statement was recorded. Further, accused showed the place as Mithi River, BKC, Bandra (East), Mumbai,” an NIA official said on condition of anonymity.

“The said place was searched with the help of divers. NIA recovered one laptop, one printer, 2 hard disks, a pair of number plates, 2 CPUs, 2 DVRs, etc. The said articles were identified by rightful owners/custodians from whom accused Sachin Vaze had collected them illegally without proper documentation. Also, the laptop and printer recovered was used by Sachin Vaze in his office. A visible effort was made by the accused to destroy the same as hammer marks are present on them,” the official added.

This is one of the most important recoveries made in the investigation so far.

“A group of 10 divers conducted search around three hours and recovered crucial evidence,” another NIA official said on condition of anonymity. The NIA team, comprising six to seven officials, took Vaze to a Mithi river bridge from where he allegedly discarded the evidence after damaging it with the hammer, the official added.

The NIA probe team reached the spot at 3.15pm and the search was conducted till 6pm with the help of local divers, the second NIA official said. The DVRs were allegedly removed from the housing society in Thane where Vaze lives.

“NIA is taking the help of professional as well as local divers who know the Mithi river well. More evidence is likely to be recovered,” a third official said.

It is suspected that assistant police inspector Riyazuddin Kaazi told NIA during his interrogation that the evidences were thrown into the Mithi river, according to news agency Press Trust of India.

An official told ANI that the DVRs have a recording of Vaze’s society where the car was parked between February 17 and February 24 before it was planted.

Vaze was initially the investigating officer in the case; he got all the evidence in his custody and after Hiran’s murder, when he realised that the case could go to some other agency, he tried to destroy the proof, the official said.

According to people familiar with the developments, Vaze tried to destroy most of the evidence systematically as he knew they would implicate him. The recovered items, which Vaze allegedly attempted to destroy or destroyed, are being sent for forensic examination.

NIA also learnt that a lot of evidence collected by Vaze as the investigating officer was not recorded in the case diary, as the main aim was to destroy it to save himself, said another officer, asking not to be identified.

Hiran, linked to the car that was found containing explosives outside Ambani’s house, was found dead on March 5 in Thane.

Investigations into his death were being carried out by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) until the Union home ministry handed over the probe to NIA.

Vaze was earlier in NIA custody till March 25 for his alleged role and involvement in planting the explosives-laden vehicle. Later, a special NIA court on March 25 allowed the agency his custody till April 3.

(With inputs from agencies)