THE owner of the vehicle found parked in front of South Mumbai house of industrialist Mukesh Ambani last month, was found dead on Friday.
On Thursday night, the 47-year-old Mansukh Hiren family had filed a missing person’s report with Thane police.
An officer said that on Friday morning, Mumbra police in Thane were informed about a body floating in the Kalwa stream which was later identified as Hiren. Local police have registered an accidental death report.
The Indian Express has learned from law enforcement sources that while the cloth mask around his mouth was found intact, his mouth was stuffed with pieces of cloth.
Police said Hiren’s son told them his father disappeared after he left his Crawford Market store around 8 p.m. Thursday after receiving a call.
The caller, police said, had identified himself as’ Tawde ‘and said he was a police officer investigating the February 25 incident in front of Ambanis’ home in Antilia, where Hiren’s stolen Scorpio was found with rods. jelly and a note of menace inside.
DCP Zone 1 Avinash Ambure said Hiren told his son that he was meeting the policeman near the Godbundar area of Thane and took off in a rickshaw. His phone has been turned off since 10:30 p.m. that night.
On Friday, speaking in the Assembly, the leader of the opposition, Devendra Fadnavis, asked that the matter be transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Fadnavis alleged that he had call data records to show that Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze of the Mumbai Police, who was the investigating officer on the case until Thursday, had been in contact with Hiren even before the Scorpio in Antilia’s case was traced to him. This, Fadnavis alleged, was suspicious and therefore needed an investigation by the NIA.
On Friday night, the government announced the transfer of both the Antilia case and the case of Hiren’s death to the Mumbai Police Anti-Terror Squad.
Hours after the Scorpio was found parked outside the Ambani residence, police had tracked the vehicle back to Hiren. The vehicle registration number had been changed and an attempt was made to cross out the chassis number as well. A case was registered at the Gamdevi Police Station and the matter was handed over to the Crime Investigation Unit (CIU).
Hiren, a Thane resident who ran an auto business, told CIU in a statement that on February 17, his vehicle broke down while on his way from Thane to Crawford Market. He parked it on the Eastern Express Highway in Vikhroli and hired an Ola cab to Crawford Market. He said that when he went to look for the vehicle the next day, it was lost, and he managed to register an FIR at the Vikhroli police station.
Although Hiren’s statement was recorded multiple times after his car was found outside Antilia, the police have yet to identify or track down the culprits. On Thursday, the matter was transferred from Vaze to ACP Nitin Alakhnure.
Speaking in the Assembly, Fadnavis raised a series of accusations against API Vaze. Saying he had call data logs to show that Vaze had spoken to Hiren in June-July, Fadnavis said: “It is also curious that Vaze was the first person to reach the location where the Scorpio was found, before the local police. or anyone else. another unit of the Crimes Branch. Vaze, like Hiren, is a resident of Thane. Also, the day Hiren arrived at Crawford Market, where the Mumbai Police Headquarters is located, he ran into someone there. It’s easy to find out who he met. The police already have the number of Ola’s car that he took that day. They just need to ask the driver. “
He added: “It is also curious that suddenly, two days ago, the investigation of the case was snatched from Vaze and handed over to an officer of ACP rank. I want to know why this case was transferred. To eliminate suspicion, the matter must be turned over to the NIA. “
When contacted about the Fadnavis allegations, Vaze said: “The person is also staying in Thane and may have met him. I don’t know anything about the CDR. I was not the first person to arrive at the scene after the Scorpio vehicle was found. “
On Hiren’s death, Vaze said: “He had complained of harassment from the police and the media to the Thane and Mumbai police commissioners.”
Responding to Fadnavis in the Assembly, Maharashtra Interior Minister Anil Deshmukh said: “The Maharashtra Police, the Mumbai Police and the Thane Police are competent enough to investigate the matter. Are you angry at Vaze because he was the person who arrested Arnab Goswami in the Anvay Naik suicide case? Give us all the details you have and we will investigate the matter. “
In response to Hiren’s death, Fadnavis said: “We had previously demanded protection for Hiren. Attempts are being made to prove that he committed suicide. His death must be properly investigated. “
Hiren’s wife Vimal told reporters: “Hiren can never think about committing suicide. He has been cooperating with investigators on the gelatin matter. He told us he was called by a certain Tawde from Kandivali Crime Branch and that he would meet him on Godbundar road. I want the police to carry out a full investigation. “
Hiren’s older brother, Vinod, told The Indian Express: “They called him at the CP office in Mumbai almost every day and asked the same questions. Hiren had told us that he was being harassed by the police. “
He added that Hiren had filed a complaint about the harassment with Mumbai and Thane Police Commissioners.
Family members and close friends who gathered at Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital in Kalwa, where his body was sent for an autopsy, said that Hiren was a swimmer and would not end his life by jumping into the water. “There is a possibility that he was killed. We want the police to investigate thoroughly, ”said a close friend.
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