SUV case: Sachin Vaze sent to judicial custody till April 23

Arrested on March 13, Vaze had been in the custody of National Investigation Agency (NIA), and has now been shunted to judicial custody by Special Judge P.R. Sitre after the agency did not seek his further remand.

Vaze was nabbed for planting an explosive-filled SUV near Antilia, the home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani on February 25, and later the case of the mystery death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran, whose body was found in the Thane Creek wetlands.

Earlier on Friday, Vaze, a suspended Assistant Police Inspector, was questioned by the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) for third consecutive day in connection with the probe into the 'letter-bomb' of former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The NIA has said that during his custodial interrogation over the past around 4 weeks, several critical aspects of the SUV-Hiran cases have emerged including recovery of several luxury vehicles, and cash, and fishing out some of the evidence sought to be destroyed in the Mithi River, etc.

It added that the probe has unearthed a conspiracy hatched by Vaze and the other accused - convicted former cop Vinayak Shinde and bookie Narendra Gor - to eliminate Hiran, who is believed to be a co-conspirator in the SUV planting case.

Vaze sparked another controversy earlier this week after a letter he had written to the Special Court on Apri 3, levelling corruption allegations against former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, NCP's Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena Minister Anil Parab had come into the public domain.

Following the letter, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leaders had predicted that two more cabinet ministers of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi would be forced to quit soon.

--IANS qn/vd

( 320 Words)

2021-04-09-20:16:03 (IANS)