The body of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran, who washed ashore the Retibunder Creek in Thane district on March 5, had injuries on the back of his head and neck, a Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer said Thursday, even as the investigating authority sought a second opinion from a Haryana forensic laboratory.
ATS is investigating the death of 48-year-old Thane-based auto spare parts dealer who is linked to an explosives-carrying car that was found parked outside billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s house on February 25.
“It appears that someone/some people assaulted Mansukh Hiran with a blunt and heavy object, perhaps made him unconscious. They then put four or five handkerchiefs in his mouth and covered his entire face with a scarf,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity.
“The murderer might have used chloroform to make Hiran unconscious or might have used some other means, because Hiran’s face was covered by number of handkerchiefs and was covered by a mask. Perhaps, he was later (after becoming unconscious) thrown into the water,” the official added.
The result of a test submitted by a forensic team at the JJ Hospital on Wednesday confirmed the presence of diatoms in Hiran’s body. Diatoms are single-celled algae and this test is usually conducted to detect their presence in the body to indicate drowning. The report was sent to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) in Madhuban, Haryana to seek a second opinion.
{{/usCountry}}The result of a test submitted by a forensic team at the JJ Hospital on Wednesday confirmed the presence of diatoms in Hiran’s body. Diatoms are single-celled algae and this test is usually conducted to detect their presence in the body to indicate drowning. The report was sent to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) in Madhuban, Haryana to seek a second opinion.
{{/usCountry}}Though the JJ Hospital report suggests that Hiran was alive when he was thrown into the creek, some ATS investigators have raised doubts regarding this line of inquiry.
Another car seized
NIA on Thursday seized another luxury car allegedly used by suspended Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze, PTI reported. The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado was found parked outside Vaze’s residence in Saket area of adjoining Thane, an agency official said.
NIA previously seized a black Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4Matic from a parking area of the Azad Maidan police station, which was reportedly used by Vaze. They recovered ₹5 lakh in cash, a note-counting machine, vehicle registration plates and some clothes.