Mumbai police on Saturday suspended inspector Sunil Mane, a day after he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence at Carmichael Road and the murder of Thane based businessman Mansukh Hiran.
According to the sources in the Mumbai Police, Mane's suspension order was issued in the morning. Mane was earlier in-charge of Unit-11 (Kandivali) of the Mumbai crime branch. Mane had been transferred to the local arms section in a reshuffle of the crime branch following the arrest of assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze in Ambani security scare case.
Sources probing the case said that an NIA team on Saturday took Mane to Thane for investigation purposes. Hiran was called by the accused on March 4 to Majiwada Junction in Thane and he was then taken to Bhayandar Chowpatty in a car. His body was later dumped in Mumbra creek.
The NIA had on Friday claimed that during the probe, it came to light that Mane was part of the conspiracy to kill Hiran. "Mane had also attended a meeting in which Vaze and Hiran were present. In the said meeting, which was held in Crime Intelligence Unit office in March, Vaze was trying to convince Hiran to take the blame for the SUV-laden vehicle, which Hiran had refused to do. We also suspect Mane had provided logistical support to the other accused persons involved in the crime," said an official.
After Mane's arrest, a special NIA court in Mumbai had remanded him to the central probe agency's custody till April 28.
The explosives-laden SUV was found near Ambani's house in south Mumbai on February 25. Hiran, a Thane-based businessman, had claimed that he was in possession of the SUV, but the vehicle had been stolen before its recovery near Antilia, Ambani's multi-storey residence. Hiran's body was found in a creek in Mumbra on March 5.
The Maharashtra ATS which sax earlier probing the murder of Hiran had arrested bookie Naresh Gor and convicted police constable Vinayak Shinde in the murder case. Their custody was later handed over to NIA after the Hiran murder probe was taken over by the central agency.
