Sachin Vaze Ordered Mansukh Hiren’s Murder After He Didn’t Take The Rap For Planting Explosives; Another Fake Encounter Cop, Bookie Held

On Sunday (21 March), the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a convicted former policeman and a cricket bookie in the case of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren's death.

Mumbai Police ex-cop Vinayak B Shinde, 51 and cricket bookie Naresh R Gor, 31, are suspected to be behind’s Hiren’s alleged murder. The digital trail left by Vaze and other accused led to the arrest.

An IANS report quotes an official as saying that the duo was produced before a Thane Court and remanded to ATS custody till 30 March.

"The puzzle of the ultra-sensitive Hiren murder case has been solved... This was amongst the most challenging cases in my entire career," DIG, ATS, Shivdeep Wamanrao Lande said in a social media post this evening.

He also saluted all his colleagues in the ATS for working day and night to ensure the case was resolved within the legal parameters.

Mansukh Hiren, a Thane-based automobile spare parts businessman, was the owner of the explosive-laden green SUV found near Ambani’s house on 25 February.

In November 2020, Hiren had purportedly given the SUV to Sachin Vaze, an old client, who returned the car back on 5 February 2021 owing to a technical snag in the steering.

On 17 February, Hiren was forced to park the car after the “steering gets jammed” at the Eastern Express Highway in Vikhroli. When he came back the next day, he found it missing and lodged a complaint with Vikhroli police station in Mumbai. On 5 March, Mansukh Hiren was found dead after being “missing” for five hours.

The NIA investigation revealed that Vaze himself drove the explosive-laden SUV to the spot on 25 February, and then left in the Innova car. The agency concluded that the whole affair was orchestrated by Vaze himself merely “to recover his lost glory”.

Reportedly, the bookie Gor had allegedly procured 5 mobile SIM cards for the use of Shinde and the other prime accused, arrested-suspended Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze. These SIM cards were used to communicate by Vaze and others while planning and carrying out the murder.

Shinde was awarded a life sentence and dismissed from service in November 2006 Versova fake encounter case of Ramnarayan Gupta alias Lakhan Bhaiya, said to be a close aide of the jailed mafia don ‘Chhota Rajan’ Rajendra S Nikhalje.

He was out on parole since May 2020 and came in contact with Vaze and reportedly helped out in his illegal activities. He was working in a team

The ATS reportedly suspects involvement of more policemen in the Mansukh Hiren’s death who was purportedly murdered because he refused to take the rap for planting the explosives. Now, the ATS is now probing the involvement of others including the unidentified masterminds of the incident.

The murder of Hiren was allegedly planned on 2 March during a two-hour meeting Vaze held with two other colleagues. Reportedly, Vaze ordered the hit but wasn’t present during the actual murder. In an attempt to establish an alibi, Vaze stayed put at Dongri carrying out searches on hotels till late at night.

The other cops, yet to be arrested, lured Mansukh to Ghodbunder Road in Thane before attacking him in a moving car and then dumping his body in the Mumbra creek. Forensic evidence suggests the victim was alive when thrown in the water.

“The killers wanted to show that Mansukh committed suicide but things got out of hand, and the killers left digital footprints, like the call Mansukh received on 4 March at 8.20 PM,” an officer was quoted as saying.

The Ambani bomb threat case has triggered a political tsunami in Maharashtra with high-key transfers of the officers, allegations against Shiv Sena leaders, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government coming under fire from the Opposition.

Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis has targeted the state government over the case.

Meanwhile, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh in a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has alleged a close relationship betwee the state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and the controversial cop Sachin Vaze, whome the former reportedly ordered to collect Rs 100 crore per month.

The developments come close on the heels of the Centre transferring the Hiran death case to the NIA.

While the Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, Maha Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi President Prakash Ambedkar and others bay for Deshmukh's scalp, state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant has warned the MVA "not to succumb" to the BJP's pressures.

(With inputs from IANS)