Sachin Waze planned to extort money from Mukesh Ambani: NIA

MUMBAI: Dismissed police officer Sachin Waze, the mastermind behind the planting of explosives in a vehicle near Mukesh Ambani’s residence on February 25, had planned to extort money from the industrialist, according to the chargesheet submitted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
“The intent was clearly to terrorise wealthy and prosperous individuals… extort money by putting… fear of dire consequences,” says the chargesheet, which invokes the anti-terror law UAPA as well as stringent sections of the IPC.The plot allegedly involved five serving and retired cops including erstwhile encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma. They had roped in five others, some of whom had long criminal records, says the NIA.

Waze left a note in the vehicle to threaten the Ambanis, says the chargesheet. To mislead investigators, a message was posted on the Telegram app purportedly showing terror outfit Jaish-ul-Hind taking responsibility for planting the explosives, it adds. Waze also plotted the murder of the vehicle owner, Mansukh Hiran, the NIA says.

“The post on Telegram… appears to be a deliberate attempt to add credibility to the above said act of terror and the murder of Hiran was a direct outcome of the said act of terror,” the chargesheet says. The NIA says that a demand for a payoff from the Ambani family in the threat posted on Telegram clearly depicts Waze’s motive to reap monetary gains. Waze himself drove the explosive-laden vehicle and parked it near Ambani’s bungalow, it adds. The driver of the police vehicle that accompanied him was unaware about the conspiracy and was told it was a secret operation.

Later, Waze was the first to reach the spot and got the investigations transferred to himself so that he could vitiate the entire probe, as part of a well-organised conspiracy to instill fear in the Ambani family as well as the general public, the chargesheet said. The next day when the police driver saw the news, he was shocked, but kept silent as Waze threatened him against disclosing anything.
The chargesheet further says that Waze also destroyed a visitor’s register maintained by the police commissioner’s office to conceal his and his accomplices’ movements. As part of the conspiracy, Waze had booked a room for 100 nights in Hotel Oberoi in the fictitious name of Sushant Khamkar. He thought it was a safe place for planning and implementation of the plot.

On Waze’s instruction, Hiran had earlier filed a false case with Vikhroli police that on February 17, his Scorpio was stolen. Waze had driven the vehicle and brought it to his own housing society in Thane. Hiran, however, refused to play along after a point, which prompted Waze and his accomplices to eliminate him. NIA said there were two meetings on March 2 and 3 in the police commissioner’s office in which inspector Sunil Mane and former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma were present. Waze ensured that Hiran was seen here so as to have him identified.

The chargesheet also speaks in detail about Hiran’s murder. On March 3, Waze handed over a bag containing cash and a SIM card to Sharma at his PS Foundation office in Andheri. Sharma, in turn, handed over the cash to his associate Santosh Shellar to arrange a vehicle and recruit others. Shellar roped in Anand Jadhav, Satish Mothkuri and Manish Soni.
In court proceedings, the prosecution had mentioned that Rs 45 lakh was paid to eliminate Hiran. On March 4 night, Mane called Hiran saying he was ‘Inspector Tawde’ and asked him to meet him on Ghodbunder Road in Thane. After picking up Hiran in his car, he drove to Dwarka Hotel and handed Hiran over to Shellar who was waiting in a Tavera car. Mane took away his mobile phone and told him that he would now be in safe hands.
In the moving car, Mothkuri who was seated in the last row grabbed Hiran, smothered him and inserted handkerchiefs in his mouth while Jadhav and Shellar held his hands, said Soni who was driving the vehicle and has turned an approver in the case. They later drove the vehicle to Kasheli bridge in Thane and threw the body in the creek and then went to a dhaba and had their dinner.

Before the disposal of Hiran’s body, they removed his gold chain, a purse containing cash, debit/credit cards and wristwatch so that if the body floated up, he would not be identified. After the murder, Shellar called up Sharma and conveyed that the task had been completed. Shellar, Jadhav and Soni, on Sharma’s instruction, left for Nepal via Delhi.
When Sharma learnt that Soni was in a state of depression and may spill the beans, he asked Shellar to send him to Dubai for a few days. When Hiran’s body was found and taken to CGM hospital in Kalwa, Waze got there while the post-mortem was underway, in a bid to keep tabs on the process, says the chargesheet.
Waze and his subordinate API Kazi also illegally took away digital video recorders (DVRs) showing CCTV footage of a housing society near Antilia, Waze’s own housing society and of Hiran’s automobile accessories shop in Thane. Waze with Kazi’s help dumped the digital evidence along with phones used by the gang and fake number plates used for the vehicles in Mithi river in Kurla.