Antilia bomb scare case: Sachin Vaze in judicial custody till April 23

As his period of NIA custody ended on Friday, Vaze was produced before court in the afternoon. The agency did not seek his further custody and said that he may be remanded to judicial custody.

The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Friday remanded former Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze – arrested for his alleged role in parking an explosives-laden car outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia in February – to judicial custody till April 23.

Vaze was arrested on March 13. He has been booked under various charges of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). (HT_PRINT)

As his period of NIA custody ended on Friday, Vaze was produced before court in the afternoon. The agency did not seek his further custody and said that he may be remanded to judicial custody.

Vaze’s lawyers pleaded the court that Vaze be lodged in a secure cell in prison as they apprehend threat to his life. The court noted the request.

During the hearing, NIA brought to the notice of the court about Vaze’s letter getting leaked. The agency claimed that the letter was written while Vaze was in their custody. On Wednesday, when he was produced before the court, he was allowed to meet his lawyers for five minutes and the time was misused.

The court reprimanded the defence lawyers saying they were asked to follow proper procedure, but they did not. The court warned them to not repeat it in the future.

Vaze was arrested on March 13. He has been booked under various charges of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Under the Act, the agency can seek custody of the accused up to 30 days, which otherwise is restricted up to 14 days only. Since his arrest, Vaze had been in NIA custody.

Vaze has also been named an accused in the murder case of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran. The 48-year-old auto spare parts trader is suspected to be murdered on March 4, the day he went missing. His body had washed ashore at a creek at Mumbra the next day.

The murder is also being probed by NIA as the same being linked to the Antillia case. The Scorpio found parked outside Antilia on February 25 with 20 sticks of gelatin was the one that Hiran had been driving for three years and was reported stolen on February 18.

Meanwhile, the special court has allowed the plea of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), seeking records from NIA about their investigation into the case. CBI is probing the allegations against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh by ex-Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

During the Antilia probe, Singh was transferred to a low-key post in the home guard department. Subsequently, he made several allegations in a letter addressed to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 20 against Deshmukh.

The Bombay high court (HC), which was hearing of multiple public interest litigations and a writ petition seeking a CBI probe into the accusations, had directed the central agency to conclude a preliminary inquiry in the case within 15 days.