The twist and turns in the Antilia bomb scare case of Sachin Vaze seize to end. To date, the NIA has seized more than half-a-dozen different vehicles which were allegedly used by Sachin Vaze for different reasons. The central agency is investigating the death of Mansukh Hiren and the Antilia bomb scare, in which Vaze is the prime accused.
Now it is being reported that the agency has taken into its possession yet another high-end luxury car from Mumbai. The latest car is a white Mercedes bearing registration number MH 46 X 3420 that has been seized and taken to the central agency office, according to reports. The agency is now trying to establish whether this car has any links with the Sachin Vaze or the Mansukh Hiren death case.
#BREAKING | मुंबई में NIA ने कब्जे में ली एक और कार @shikha_thakur7 #SachinVaze #AntiliaCase
— ABP News (@ABPNews) April 3, 2021
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According to the vehicle registration database, the car is a Mercedes ML 250 CDI, which is registered as Panvel RTO. Its owner is registered as Gaganpreet Singh Bedi.
NIA recovers 7 more cars in the past which have links to the case of Sachin Vaze
With this, the agency has recovered 8 cars since Sachin Vaze’s arrest on March 13. Before this, on March 30, the NIA had seized the tainted cop’s personal vehicle, a white Mitsubishi Outlander from Navi Mumbai. The car had been abandoned in Navi Mumbai for several days before residents of the locality reported it to the police.
Prior to this, the agency seized 6 other different vehicles which were allegedly used by Sachin Vaze. Soon after NIA took charges of the Antilla bomb scare case came, it first seized control of the explosive-laden Green Scorpio which was parked outside Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia residence.
The NIA recovered 5 vehicles subsequently, which were used by Vaze. After Vaze’s arrest on March 13, the NIA seized a white Innova, which was being used by police personnel. Following this, a black Mercedez Benz was seized. From the black Mercedez, the NIA had recovered Rs 5.75 lakh cash and a cash counting machine. Moreover, the vehicle was also spotted on February 17 to pick up Mansukh Hiren.
The fourth car which was seized was another black Mercedez Benz, recovered from Sachin Vaze’s residential complex in Thane.
The next car in question, seized by the central agency was a Land Cruiser Prado, which allegedly ferried gelatin sticks and Mansukh Hiren. The Prado was spotted on Trident Hotel’s CCTV, where Sachin Vaze stayed and allegedly plotted the Antilia bomb scare.
Last but not the least, a black Volvo was seized from a factory in Daman by the ATS, which was probing the Mansukh Hiren death case until the NIA took over. Two bags had also been recovered from the black Volvo.
Moreover, a March 2 CCTV footage showed Sachin Vaze driving an Audi car. He was caught on camera passing through the toll gates at the Bandra Worli Sea Link in this high-end sedan, three days before Mansukh Hiran’s body was fished out of a creek. Former constable Vinayak Shinde can be seen in the car with Sachin Waze, sources said. The Audi sedan has been traced by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the case.
Fake number plates also play a critical role in the case of the tainted cop
Besides cars, fake number plates have also played a critical role in the Antilia bomb scare case. Earlier, API Riyaz Kazi, the close aide of Mumbai tainted cop Sachin Vaze, was caught on CCTV entering a number plate shop in Vikhroli. Kazi allegedly went there with an intention to destroy evidence. Additionally, the explosive-laden Scorpio car, the Mercedes car and the white Innova, which was suspected to be used in addition to the Scorpio, all these vehicles recovered by the NIA so far have been found with fake number plates.
Furthermore, two more vehicle registration plates, with the same number, were recovered from the Mithi river, where NIA had sent professional divers on March 28, in a bid to recover crucial evidence from the river bed. It was reported that a government official based in Aurangabad had claimed that the number plates retrieved from the Mithi river belonged to him.
Vijay Madhukar Nade has claimed that his car was stolen from Aurangabad’s Uddhavrao Patil Chowk on November 16, 2020, and he had filed an FIR regarding the same.
The NIA is now reportedly probing why Vaze used so many cars and fake number plates.
Interestingly, none of the cars recovered so far, except the Mitsubishi Outlander seized from Navi Mumbai, belonged to the now suspended cop. Sources believe that this was Sachin Vaze’s modus operandi.