The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the Antilia bomb scare has now revealed that suspended API Sachin Waze had himself placed the threat letter in the explosives-laden Scorpio that was found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia on February 25. The NIA has revealed that Sachin Vaze had first forgotten to place the threat letter inside the Scorpio and had later gone back to plant it.
According to the reports, during the investigation, the NIA officials have found out that Waze coordinated the entire exercise from parking the bomb-laden vehicle near Antilia to placing the threat letter inside the car. The NIA officials have relied on CCTV footage retrieved from the Mulund toll collection point to arrive at the conclusion.
On February 25, the Mumbai Police had recovered a letter addressed to Mukesh and Neeta Ambani from the bomb-laden Scorpio that claimed that the planting explosives was just a ‘trailer’ and threatened to return later with more preparations to assassinate the whole family.
Reportedly, a constable Vinayak Shinde working under Waze at the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) office had accompanied Vaze the explosive-laden Scorpio in the Innova near Antilia in the early hours of February 25. The Scorpio driver later left in the Innova.
Sachin Vaze returned near Antilia to place the threat letter inside Scorpio, says NIA
Later, two persons were spotted in the same Innova, which re-entered Thane from Mulund toll around 3.27 am. The CCTV footage revealed that around 4.03 am, the Innova was again seen entering Mumbai, but this time with a different number plate. The same number plate was used by Vaze for more than a month while travelling to his CIU office at the Mumbai Police headquarters.
The probe further revealed that Vaze had initially forgotten to place the threat letter inside the SUV and returned to the crime spot in Innova to do so. He was caught by CCTV cameras, one at the toll and another near the Antilia premises.
“Our probe has revealed that Vaze had forgotten to place the threat letter inside the SUV, and on realising this, he went back to place the typed threat letter. His movement near the SUV was caught by the CCTV camera of a nearby shop. Vaze was later made to wear a kurta and taken to the same spot to recreate the scene by the investigating team,” said an official according to the Free Press Journal.
The NIA has learnt that Vaze had promised Rs. 50,000 to another accused, Vinayak Shinde, to provide him logistical help.
The NIA officials stated that Vaze, who was present inside the Innova, was wearing a white kurta. Parking the bomb-laden vehicle near Mukesh Ambani’s residence, he stood there for at least 10 minutes. The images were captured on CCTV cameras. Again at 5.18 am, the Innova was seen travelling towards Thane from Mumbai to drop Waze home.
Sachin Vaze wore PPE kit to park bomb-laden vehicle, NIA re-creates the crime scene
Earlier, it was reported that Sachin Vaze’s staff had admitted to the NIA that the man seen wearing a PPE suit and walking towards the Scorpio was Sachin Vaze himself. The staff had revealed to the investigating officers that Vaze was spotted near Antilia wearing a PPE kit on the eve of the bomb scare incident.
The staff had said that Vaze later destroyed the PPE kit. The National Investigating Agency officials had recovered a shirt from Sachin Vaze that was allegedly worn inside the PPE kit.
Following this, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the Antilia bomb scare case, recreated the crime scene near Mukesh Ambani’s residence. According to the CCTV footage of the area, suspended API Sachin Vaze, a prime accused in the Antilia bomb scare case, was made to walk the scene.
Interestingly, Sachin Vaze was also been made to wear an over-sized Kurta, a mask and a handkerchief over his head to recreate the ‘PPE-wearing’ man spotted approaching the car on February 25. This recreation of the crime scene where Sachin Vaze is wearing an over-sized kurta, a mask and a handkerchief on his head seems to lend credence to the report that the NIA has evidence of the man in the PPE kit being none other than Sachin Vaze himself.
Sachin Vaze – an accused in the Antilia bomb scare case
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested ‘encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze for being a part of the group that planted the explosive-laden Scorpio on Carmichael Road (near Antilia) on February 25. The top cop was also investigated for his alleged role in the death of Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the Scorpio found near the Ambani residence.
Two cars – an Innova (white colour) and a Scorpio (green colour) were used to plant the bombs outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai on February 25. The police had traced the Scorpio to Mansukh Hiren, an auto part dealer in Thane. A few days later, his dead body was found in a creek. While initially it was claimed to be suicide, further investigation revealed that it is possibly a murder.
Later, it was found out that Mumbai top cop Sachin Vaze had used the same explosive-laden Scorpio found outside Reliance Group’s chief Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia to escort Alibagh Police in Arnab case.