Mumbai : The Antilia bomb scare was hatched in February when Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze was staying in a 5-star hotel in Mumbai, the information has been given by NIA sources. The sources added that Vaze stayed in the hotel using a fake ID card in the name of “Sadashiv”.
The security officer of Antilia- Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai informed the Gamdevi Police Station of a suspicious 4-wheeler being parked on Carmichael Road at around 3 pm on February 25. 20 gelatin sticks and a threatening note typewritten in English were recovered from the Mahindra Scorpio.
On March 5, the case got a new twist after the vehicle’s owner Mansukh Hiren was found dead in a creek in Thane. While Hiren’s wife accused Vaze of being responsible for her husband’s death, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis produced a Call Detail Record claiming that the Assistant Police Inspector was in constant touch with the deceased.
Hiren’s wife also alleged that the aforesaid car was in Vaze’s possession since November 2020. The NIA took over the Antilia bomb scare case on March 8 and registered an FIR under Sections 120 B, 286, 465, 473 and 506(2) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4(a)(b)(i) of The Explosive Substances Act.
Vaze was arrested by the NIA after being grilled for nearly 12 hours on March 13. Vaze was remanded to NIA custody till March 25 subsequently. The NIA examined 5 luxury cars used by Vaze and recreated the crime scene.