Ownership of the car is under investigation, said NIA (Archive)
Bombay:
The National Investigative Agency, which is investigating the recovery of an explosives-laden Scorpio pickup in front of the Mukesh Ambani industrialist residence in Mumbai last month, seized a black Mercedes-Benz car, which allegedly used to be driven by the police officer. arrested Sachin Vaze. The counterterrorism agency recovered Rs 5 lakh in cash, a banknote counting machine, some clothes and the license plate from the car’s truck.
“The NIA today seized a black Mercedes-Benz car. In this seizure, we have recovered the license plate that was on the Scorpio car, more than Rs 5 Lakh in cash, a banknote counting machine, some clothes … Sachin Vaze used to driving this car … car ownership is under investigation, “senior NIA official Anil Shukla told reporters.
On February 25, a Scorpio SUV with explosives was found abandoned near Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia residential building. He also had a threatening note for him and his wife Nita Ambani. The car was traced to Mansukh Hiran, a Thane-based auto parts dealer, who had submitted a theft report to police on February 17.
Mr. Hiran was found dead in a stream near Mumbai on March 5. His wife has alleged that Sachin Vaze, the first investigating officer in the bomb scare case, had used the car for four months and returned it on February 5. officer to have a role in the death of her husband.
Days after taking over the Mumbai Anti-Terror Squad case, the NIA arrested Sachin Vaze for his alleged role in placing the van near Mr. Ambani’s residence. He was questioned by the agency for hours Sunday.
On Monday, the NIA alleged that Vaze seized CCTV footage from his own apartment complex and deleted them. They searched his office and seized his tablet, laptop and some mobile phones.
Ruler Shiv Sena had criticized the center for turning the case over to the NIA. He said that the Mumbai police and the ATS were capable of handling the case, and the action by the center demoralized the local police.
“Sachin Vaze is not Osama Bin Laden. It is not correct to target a person, hang him and then investigate,” Uddhav Thackeray said last week, adding that those responsible for the act will not be spared.
The BJP has accused the Chief Minister of trying to protect Vaze because he was a member of the Sena during a hiatus in his career.
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