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Antilia explosives scare, Hiran murder:NIA gets custody of ex-Mumbai cop, 2 others again
The special court on Monday extended till June 25 the NIA (National Investigation Agency) custody of Santosh Shelar and Anand Jadhav, who were arrested by the federal agency on June 11 in connection with an explosives-laden car parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai home Antilia and the subsequent murder of the vehicle owner, Mansukh Hiran
The special court on Monday extended till June 25 the NIA (National Investigation Agency) custody of Santosh Shelar and Anand Jadhav, who were arrested by the federal agency on June 11 in connection with an explosives-laden car parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai home Antilia and the subsequent murder of the vehicle owner, Mansukh Hiran.
The court also remanded another accused, former Mumbai Police inspector Sunil Mane, in NIA custody till June 25. Mane was arrested by NIA on April 23, and on May 13, he was remanded in judicial custody. He has been lodged in Taloja prison since then.
Four days after arresting Shelar and Jadhav, NIA had moved an application seeking Mane’s custody again for questioning him with the duo. Special judge Prashant Sitre on Monday allowed the plea. The judge extended Shelar and Jadhav’s NIA custody also on the same grounds.
On February 25, a Mahindra Scorpio was found abandoned near Antilia with 20 loose gelatin sticks and a threatening note addressed to the Ambanis. A case was registered at Gamdevi police station following the recovery of the SUV.
Vaze was originally in charge of the investigation but removed after reports emerged of his links with Hiran, who had reported the SUV stolen on February 17.
On March 5, Hiran was found dead in a creek near Mumbra, with six handkerchiefs stuffed in his mouth. His face was covered with a scarf. A separate case was registered with Mumbra police in connection with the murder of the auto spare parts dealer.
NIA subsequently took over both the cases. Apart from Mane, Shelar and Jadhav, the federal agency has arrested ex-police officer Sachin Vaze; his former colleague at the criminal intelligence unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Police crime branch, Riyazuddin Kazi; former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, former constable Vinayak Shinde – a life convict in a fake encounter killing – cricket bookie Naresh Gor; Satish Mothukari, and Manish Soni.
It subsequently emerged that Vaze had borrowed the SUV from Hiran in November and returned it in early February. NIA has claimed that it was Vaze who had planted the explosives-laden vehicle near Ambani’s residence, and the other police officers arrested in the case were allegedly involved in the larger conspiracy. NIA further alleged that the cops got Hiran killed after he refused to take the blame for planting the SUV and get arrested in the case. The others arrested in the case killed Hiran and dumped his body in the creek, alleged NIA.
