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Tag: Mansukh Hiran

  • Police officers near Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray killed Mansukh Hiran, alleges Kirit Somaiya

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: BJP chief Kirit Somaiya on Saturday alleged that some police officers “close to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray” killed Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    He will meet officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the case, Somaiya advised reporters.

    Officials from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) weren’t accessible for commenting on the BJP chief’s allegation.

    The NIA on Wednesday claimed earlier than the Bombay High Court that former police officer Pradeep Sharma was the primary conspirator within the “cold-blooded murder” of Hiran, who was thought of a weak hyperlink within the “larger conspiracy of terrorising” the household of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

    Dismissed police officer Sachin Waze — additionally arrested within the case — gave Rs 45 lakh to Sharma for henchmen to kill Hiran, the NIA stated.

    On February 25, 2021, an explosives-laden SUV was discovered close to Mukesh Ambani’s residence ‘Antilia’ in south Mumbai.

    Hiran, who was in possession of the SUV earlier, was discovered lifeless in a creek in neighbouring Thane on March 5, 2021.

  • Waze suspiciously moved in direction of crime scene on March 4: NIA to court docket

    The NIA on Saturday advised a particular court docket that it has proof to indicate that suspended Mumbai Police Assistant Inspector Sachin Waze, arrested in connection to the Mukesh Ambani home bomb scare case, had “suspiciously moved towards the scene of crime” on March 4 when Thane resident Mansukh Hiran had gone lacking.
    The NIA is investigating the demise of Hiran, who went lacking days after a Scorpio automobile he was utilizing was discovered parked exterior the Ambani residence in south Mumbai with gelatin sticks and a risk letter on February 25. His physique was recovered from a creek in Kalwa on March 5.
    The company didn’t specify the spot in its software introduced earlier than the court docket, which prolonged Waze’s NIA custody until April 7.
    “We have analysed the IPDR (Internet Protocol Data Record), which shows the accused (Waze) suspiciously moved towards the scene of offence on March 4,” Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, showing for NIA, stated.
    The NIA has taken over Hiran’s homicide probe from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad. Alleging Waze’s involvement within the case, the central company has claimed that he was a part of a gathering the place a conspiracy was hatched to kill Hiran.
    The NIA on Saturday sought six extra days of Waze’s custody, claiming that it’s probing leads within the case.
    Singh advised the court docket that an account in a personal financial institution at Versova in Andheri, co-owned by Waze and an confederate who can also be a suspect within the case, had been cleared 5 days after his arrest on March 13. The account had Rs 26.5 lakh until March 8. On March 18, it was emptied together with the locker, with just a few paperwork left behind, he added. Singh claimed that NIA is investigating whether or not any incriminating paperwork or articles had been faraway from the locker.

    Waze’s lawyer Aabad Ponda denied that any such account was held by him and searched for the NIA to submit proof of a checking account opening type, which might present his signature and {photograph}.
    Following this, the NIA submitted a letter containing details about the checking account for the particular decide’s perusal however stated that it couldn’t be proven to the accused at this stage.

    Ponda, in the meantime, alleged that NIA had planted proof – together with laptops, CPUs, DVRs that retailer CCTV footage and quantity plates of autos – recovered from Mithi river final month. Ponda stated the river was accessible to all and the recoveries made have been “foisted” on Waze.
    The NIA additionally claimed that it had discovered a passport belonging to an unknown particular person in the course of the search of Waze’s residence.

  • Bombay HC raps lawyer over plea looking for probe towards Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh

    The Bombay High Court on Tuesday took a dim view of a petition filed by a lawyer looking for a CBI probe towards Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh, saying such pleas have been typically filed for “cheap publicity”.
    A bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale was listening to a plea filed by Jaishri Patil, urging the HC to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or another unbiased company to probe into the allegations of corruption towards Deshmukh.
    In her plea filed final week, Patil stated Deshmukh and Singh acted in breach of their skilled duties throughout the complete episode of an explosives-laden SUV discovered close to industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai, the loss of life of the automobile’s proprietor Mansukh Hiran, the arrest of Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze and associated occasions.
    Deshmukh has denied the allegations towards him.

    On Tuesday, Patil instructed the HC that she had additionally filed a grievance at a neighborhood police station concerning the complete episode.
    The courtroom, nevertheless, stated, “Prima facie we are of opinion that such petitions are filed for cheap popularity. It is unacceptable.”
    The bench requested what was Patil’s locus standi within the matter.
    Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni instructed the bench that Param Bir Singh had additionally approached the HC and his petition was saved earlier than the Chief Justice’s courtroom for listening to on Wednesday.
    About Patil’s plea, Kumbhakoni stated the petition was very “badly drafted”.
    The bench famous that Patil’s plea merely reproduced conversations between the state Home minister and Singh.
    “You are a doctorate of law. Please show us some original pleading in your petition. You have only reproduced conversations between the former Commissioner and Home Minster. You are only extracting paragraphs after paragraphs,” the bench stated to Patil.
    “And what is your locus? What is your reason for setting the wheels of criminal law in motion? And what is your contribution in the plea?” the courtroom requested.

    The HC then requested Kumbhakoni to get all of the petitions associated to the difficulty clubbed collectively to keep away from the potential for inconsistent orders.
    The HC will hear Patil’s plea and different associated pleas, if any, on April 1.

  • Another twist to Antilia automobile case: Scorpio belonged to Thane resident, not Hiren

    Central to the investigation of the February 25 safety scare outdoors the South Mumbai dwelling of industrialist Mukesh Ambani is a Mahindra Scorpio car. It was discovered parked a number of metres from Antilia, the Ambani dwelling on Carmichael Road. Inside had been 20 gelatin sticks and a notice addressed to the household, warning worse.
    The man to whom the police traced the car had reported it stolen eight days earlier than the Antilia incident. In lower than every week, his physique is discovered floating in a creek outdoors Mumbai.
    Police suspect he was murdered.
    The car had false quantity plates, and the chassis and engine quantity had been scratched. With the assistance of a finance firm whose identify and quantity had been written on the rear glass of the car, police tracked down its precise registration quantity – MH02AY 2815. Then they traced it to Mansukh Hiren, the person who had made a police grievance at Vikhroli that the car had been stolen on February 17.
    Cracking the theft of the automobile may present investigators with the breakthrough that they want within the different two instances – the incident at Antilia, and Hiren’s alleged homicide.

    Investigation of the Antilia incident has now been taken over by the NIA; the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) continues to research the homicide and the car’s theft.
    As it has turned out, Hiren was not the proprietor of the Scorpio. The car was registered at Thane RTO on April 7, 2007 by one Sam Peter Newton, a resident of Thane.
    As per Hiren’s assertion to the Crime Branch earlier than his dying, he had been acquainted with Newton since 2016. Hiren had a automobile decor enterprise in Thane, and Newton had requested him to suit the car with some equipment. “The bill for the work came to Rs 2.80 lakh and he (Newton) gave me two cheques, drawn on Axis Bank and HDFC Bank. I returned his vehicle, but when I deposited the cheques, both bounced,” Hiren had stated.
    According to Hiren, he had tried to get his dues out of Newton, however had failed. On April 6, 2018, Hiren met Newton at Viviana Mall in Thane and pressed him for the cash. After Newton expressed his lack of ability to pay, Hiren took him to Naupada police station (in Thane).
    “At Naupada police station, Newton promised to make the payment in 15 days and till then, he asked me to use the car,” Hiren informed police. He then roughly took over the 13-year-old car.
    In her assertion, Hiren’s spouse Vimla has stated that Hiren had handed over the car to Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, who had used it for 4 months from November 2020 to February 5 this yr.
    When The Indian Express contacted Newton for a remark, he stated he couldn’t communicate as a result of the matter was below investigation.
    Senior police officers informed The Indian Express that Vaze has denied having ever had the car. According to Hiren’s spouse, after Vaze returned the car on February 5, it was together with her husband for lower than 12 days. According to Hiren’s assertion, he had left the car by the facet of Eastern Express Highway close to Vikhroli after it broke down whereas he was on his solution to Mumbai on February 17, and continued the journey by an Ola cab. At or close to Crawford Market, Hiren had met with a buddy, Pawan Ostwal, after which gone to Opera House. Later, he had met Ostwal once more close to Masjid Bunder, and the boys had gone again to Thane collectively.

    At 12 midday on February 18, in accordance with Hiren’s assertion, he went to retrieve his car, however discovered it was lacking. He requested visitors police personnel there, after which went to Vikhroli police station and lodged a case of theft.
    An official from the Vikhroli police stated a case below IPC Section 379 (theft) was registered, during which Hiren talked about that the automobile belonged to his buddy Dr Sam Newton.
    Vimla informed police that they’d seen the car on TV on the night it was discovered, however had didn’t recognise it as a result of the registration quantity was completely different.
    The ATS tracked the car via Wadhwa Motors Cars & Finance, the corporate whose identify and phone quantity was on it. Investigators acquired to Newton, after which confirmed up at Hiren’s dwelling at Thane’s Ambedkar Road at 11pm on February 25. Hiren and his son Lucky recognized the car via its seat covers and a Ganesha idol, in addition to the finance firm’s identify on it.
    However, two weeks after discovering out particulars concerning the automobile, police are but to resolve the important thing puzzle: who stole the car from Vikhroli, the place Hiren left it on February 17?