Hiran murder probe: NIA interrogates Vaze, Shinde and Gor

Delhi/Mumbai: National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials on Thursday night recreated the purported crime scene of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran’s murder at Reti Bunder creek in Thane district with the help of forensic experts, officials said.

Hiran, whose body washed up ashore the creek on March 5, is linked to the Scorpio that was allegedly used by arrested Mumbai Police assistant inspector Sachin Vaze to plant explosives outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence on February 25.

The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) on March 21 arrested two persons in connection with the murder, Vinayak Shinde (a convicted constable) and Naresh Gor (a bookie), named Vaze as the prime suspect in the case.

The NIA took custody of the duo on March 24 after they were directed by the Union home ministry to take over the murder probe as it was it was linked to the explosives case.

NIA officials cited above said they would interrogate Vaze together with Shinde and Gor on Friday to unearth the conspiracy.

The federal agency was investigating the explosives case since March 9 and arrested Vaze on March 13. A special NIA court on Thursday extended Vaze’s custody to April 3. The agency also took custody of all documents pertaining to the murder probe on Thursday.

Claiming that they had cracked the case, ATS chief Jaijeet Singh held a press conference earlier this week and said that Shinde had asked Hiran to meet him on the evening of March 4 by pretending to be a police officer named Tawde.

The phone and SIM card that Shinde used to make this call were reportedly destroyed later.

“It has come to light in the investigation that some of the 14 SIM cards obtained through accused Naresh Gor were activated and given to Shinde, who in turn had transferred the activated SIM cards to others involved in the crime and the SIM cards were used in commission of the said crime. Preliminary investigation has revealed that some of the SIM cards used in commission of the crime and some of the mobile handsets in which those SIM cards were used, were destroyed by the accused,” Singh said on Tuesday.

A senior police officer clarified that of the 14 SIM cards procured from a person in Gujarat, five were allegedly used by Vaze in the commission of the crime. Two of these five SIM cards were allegedly destroyed, the officer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The officer added that four phones were also used by Vaze, Shinde and Gor, of which one was destroyed and three were recovered during searches.

The person who destroyed the phone has been identified and their statement recorded, the officer said, but did not give any further details of the person’s identity.

Hiran’s wife told the ATS in her statement that her husband left the house on March 4, at about 8.30 pm after receiving a call from an officer named Tawde, purportedly a crime branch officer from Kandivli, who spoke to him for 11 minutes. Hiran did not return home after that, and at 11.30 pm, when his wife tried his phone, she found it switched off.

Hiran’s body was found the following morning without any of his personal belongings, including his phone, wallet, and jewellery.

Meanwhile, the NIA is trying to trace two more high-end cars, including an Outlander, purportedly used by Vaze. It is as yet unclear how the vehicles are connected to the crimes.

The NIA has seized five vehicles, including a black Mercedes, and a Toyota Prado used by Vaze. It has also seized an Innova, which was used by the Mumbai Crime Branch, which tailed the green-coloured Scorpio that was found parked, with 20 loose sticks of gelatin, outside Ambani’s residence last month.