In the latest development in the Antilia bomb scare case, Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze recorded his statement at the NIA office today, ANI reported.
Vaze was recently shunted from the Mumbai crime branch over a series of allegations and transferred to Side Branch on Thursday. Vaze was removed after Hiran's wife Vimla suspected him to be involved in the murder and following an uproar in the state assembly over his removal.
Hiran, a businessman from Thane came into the picture after 'his' car carrying 20 gelatine sticks was found parked near the Antilia residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani on February 25. During the course of the investigation, Hiran was questioned several times by multiple agencies including Vaze who was then in charge of the Criminal Intelligence Unit and handling the probe into the Antilia episode.
On March 5, Hiran's body was recovered from Retibunder Creek in Mumbra, the ATS is probing Hiran's murder case while the probe of the Antilia episode is taken over by the National Investigation Agency.
Vaze was previously heading the CIU of the Mumbai crime branch and handling some high profile cases including the Television Rating Points manipulation scam, fake followers case, Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan's case and several others.
Earlier on February 25, a car carrying unassembled explosive materials was found abandoned at Carmichael Road in South Mumbai on February 25, near the house of Mukesh Ambani.
The crime branch started the investigation after a Scorpio with gelatin sticks was found or Carmichael Road near Ambani's residence here on February 25. The NIA too started a parallel probe on the same day. The SUV was found to have been stolen from the possession of Thane-based automobile spare parts dealer Mansukh Hiran, who said he had already filed a police complaint. But the mystery deepened when Hiran's body was found from a creek on March 5.
Subsequently, three FIRs registered in connection with the incident were transferred to the Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad for investigation. On Monday, the NIA said it was taking over the probe, on the orders of the Union Home Ministry, in the case related to the recovery of explosives from the Scorpio.
(With inputs from agencies)
