The National Investigation Agency, in its chargesheet in the bomb scare outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house, claims that dismissed Mumbai Police API Sachin Waze returned to the scene two hours after parking an SUV there with gelatine sticks and a threat letter inside, because he allegedly feared that he had forgotten his police ID in the vehicle, according to the statement of a prosecution witness.
The key witness is a Crime Intelligence Unit colleague of Waze who was tailing the SUV driven by the accused in another vehicle and has since claimed that he was misled into believing it was an official assignment.
According to the statement, the two left Waze’s residence in Thane in a Scorpio and Innova at around 1:10 am. After crossing the toll plaza in Mulund, Waze switched places with the colleague to drive the Innova in Chembur.
After they reached Carmichael Road, the statement says, “Waze sat in the Scorpio for around 5 minutes and thereafter he came out from the left side of the Scorpio and walked towards the Innova parked by me behind the Scorpio”.
CCTV footage shows that the SUV was parked at 2.10 am on Carmichael Road in South Mumbai outside the Ambani residence on February 25. It shows a person wearing a long kurta, with a face mask, returning to the spot at 4.30 am and peering inside the SUV.
The statement further said that when they started driving back in the Innova and reached Byculla, Waze told the colleague that he could not find his Mumbai Police identity card. “He asked me to look for it in the dashboard of the Innova. But the card could not be found,” the statement read.
At 3.40 am, when the duo reached Waze’s residence, the main accused told the colleague to wait while he searched for the card inside. Waze soon returned and told the colleague that he had most probably forgotten the card in the Scorpio. The chargesheet does not clarify if Waze eventually found the card or not.
The chargesheet also said that Waze placed an SUV with explosives near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house here to regain his reputation as a “supercop”.
Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran was subsequently killed as Waze thought him to be the “weak link” in the conspiracy, the NIA said, alleging that Pradeep Sharma, a former police officer, was roped in to execute the murder.
The Central agency last week filed the charge sheet before a special court here against Waze and nine others in connection with the recovery of a vehicle with gelatin sticks near Ambani’s south Mumbai residence `Antilia’ on February 25 and the subsequent murder of Hiran.
Waze, who was assistant police inspector with the Mumbai crime branch before his arrest, joined hands with others to place the SUV and a threat letter near Ambani’s residence, it said. “The intent was clearly to terrorize wealthy and prosperous people. Also to extort money by putting into (them) fear of dire consequences,” said the charge sheet.