Former owner of Mercedes denies link to Vaze

Saransh Bhavsar, the previous owner of the Mercedes-Benz car that was allegedly being used by the suspended assistant police inspector, said he did not know Vaze.

A 27-year-old travel operator said on Wednesday he sold a Mercedes-Benz car linked to Sachin Vaze, arrested for his alleged role in parking an explosives-laden care near billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence, in February to a website that deals in used vehicles.

NIA officers investigating Sachin Vaze's Mercedes car following his arrest in connection with a probe into the recovery of explosives from a car parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai. (Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times)

A black Mercedes-Benz GLC 220D 4Matic, allegedly being used by Vaze, was seized from a parking lot in Mumbai, and ₹5 lakh in cash, a note-counting machine, two vehicle registration plates and some clothes were recovered from it, according to an official of NIA, which is probing the case.

Saransh Bhavsar, the previous owner of the Mercedes-Benz car that was allegedly being used by the suspended assistant police inspector, said he did not know Vaze. “I don’t know who Sachin Vaze is. I heard his name for the first time on Tuesday when media started showing the Mercedes, mentioning his name,” the tours and travels operator from Dhule in northern Maharashtra said. “I do not have any connection with Vaze.”

A senior Mumbai police officer said NIA found an invoice of ₹28 lakh for the car’s purchase in February while conducting a search of Vaze’s office at the Crime Intelligence Unit. “We also found a car key,” the officer said.

Bhavsar, owner of Ansh Roadways, said he purchased the Mercedes car from a showroom in Pune in November 2019 and sold it to an online car trading website CARS24. “CARS24 complies with stringent legal practices for the buying and selling of automobiles through its website… we would like to reiterate that we neither influence nor participate in any illegal activities undertaken with the automobile, before or after the sale…”

NIA searches Vaze’s house, questions kin

NIA took Vaze to his residence in Thane on Wednesday morning where his family members were questioned, officials said. A police officer said, “His house was searched by the team. The interrogation continued till late at night.”