In shocking revelations, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday stated that suspended Mumbai Police API Sachin Waze was the key conspirator in the Mansukh Hiran murder case and was also single-handedly responsible for destroying evidence critical to the probe.
At a press conference held in Mumbai today, Maharashtra ATS chief Jaijeet Singh said, “Sachin Waze confirmed to us that the concerned Scorpio car (found with gelatin sticks outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia) was not in his custody and that he had no role to play in Mansukh Hiran’s murder… But when we started investigating the cause behind Hiran’s death, we arrested another suspended cop Vinayak Shinde who was also working under the instructions of Waze.”
Sharing more details, the Maharashtra ATS chief said that it has seized a Volvo car from daman in connection with the murder case and it is being analysed by the forensic team in Mumbai. The Volvo car with a Maharashtra registration number was seized a day ago.
“Waze and Shinde were part of this entire murder plot, along with a bookie from Gujarat. They were working in connivance. Moreover, Waze and his associates also destroyed evidence such as a SIM card and CCTV footage,” the ATS informed.
Singh informed that they must get Sachin Waze’s custody as only then can they get to the bottom of the case. “The ATS will get to the bottom of the case only after interrogating Sachin Waze,” the Maharashtra ATS chief stated.
The ATS unit investigating the murder case hinted that Waze may not have been physically present at the time of Hiren’s murder but could have ordered the killing. Earlier, the probing team had claimed that they have cracked the case without even getting to interrogate the main accused, Sachin Vaze.
Earlier in the day, it was revealed that Waze had used a fake Aadhaar card to check-in at a posh hotel in Mumbai a day before Mansukh Hiren's Scorpio went missing. On February 16, just a day after Vaze checked-in to the hotel, a Scorpio belonging to Mansukh Hiren was allegedly stolen and on February 25, it was found near Mukesh Ambani’s residence with gelatin explosives inside it. It is suspected that the Scorpio car had Sachin Vaze and it was him who had parked the vehicle outside Ambani’s residence Antilia, just a few kilometres from the hotel.
Two more people have been arrested by ATS in connection to the murder case, one from Gujarat with SIM cards and suspended policeman Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gaur in the case.
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NIA probing the case of recovery of explosives-laden SUV and arrested Waze had seized five high-end cars during the probe, including two Mercedes, 1 Prado, the Scorpio which was used to carry explosives, and an Innova car.
Waze is a prime suspect in Hiren’s murder case, the ATS said. The NIA suspects that at least three of the seized five cars were used by Vaze, who was posted as Assistant Police Inspector (API) with the Crime Intelligence Unit (API) when arrested on March 13. He was later suspended from service.