The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to record statement of an IPS officer in connection with the Sachin Vaze case in the coming days, sources privy to the investigations said on Thursday. The sources also claimed that the confessional statement from assistant police inspector (API) Riyazuddin Kazi could be recorded before a magistrate under section 164 of CrPC. The probe carried out thus far by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Mansukh Hiran’s alleged murder has revealed that he had two injuries on his body. The police suspect that he was murdered elsewhere and his body was later disposed of in the creek. Also, handkerchiefs were stuffed in his mouth so that it would be a few days before the body would surface.
After the gelatin sticks-laden Scorpio was found near Antilia on February 25, Sachin Vaze, head of the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of Mumbai Police, was put on the job to investigate the matter. To obtain a certain clarity about the procedures and documentation done while assigning the case to Vaze, the statement of the IPS officer will be recorded.
“The statement of API Riyazuddin Kazi, in turn, will be recorded under section 164 of the CrPC. This is basically to bolster the case against Vaze, over and above the evidence seized,” a source said.
Meanwhile, the ATS probe has revealed that there were two injury marks on Hiran's body. While one was on the front side of his head, the other one was on the rear side of his neck. "It appears that he was killed somewhere else and the body was dumped in the creek afterwards, where it was found later. Having murdered Hiran, his assailants stuffed a few handkerchiefs into his mouth. This was to ensure his body remained under water for a few days and did not surface, thus drawing attention to itself. However, the plans of the assailants seemed to have gone awry, as after they had dumped the body in the creek, it was washed ashore by the high tide and got stuck in the slush,” said a source.
In another development, the NIA team on Thursday seized two more luxury vehicles (a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Mercedes) in connection with the case. A ‘kurta’ is also believed to have been recovered from the Land Cruiser, sources said. The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado was found parked outside Vaze’s residence in the Saket area of Thane. The vehicle was brought to the NIA office at Cumballa Hill on Pedder Road. The NIA arrested Vaze late on March 13, in connection with the security scare outside the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.
Meeting lawyer privately Vaze’s constitutional right, court told: Meanwhile, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Thursday heard Vaze’s application for a private meeting with his advocate while in NIA custody, in which his advocate argued that it was Vaze’s constitutional right to meet his advocate in private.
On Thursday, senior counsel Abad Ponda appearing for Vaze, argued that it was Vaze’s constitutional right guaranteed under Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) to meet his advocate. It was also argued that Sec 41D of the CrPC provides the right to an arrested person to meet an advocate of his choice during interrogation.
The court has directed NIA to file the reply on Friday and is expected to hear the matter the same day.
