Mansukh Hiran murder case: NIA to quiz DCP-rank officer

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will question a deputy commissioner of police (DCP)-rank officer of the Mumbai crime branch who allegedly visited the crime intelligence unit (CIU) office on March 3, when Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran – whose body was found from a Mumbra creek – was present at former police officer Sachin Vaze’s office in CIU.

At the time, Vaze was the head of CIU. He was arrested by NIA on March 13 for allegedly planting an SUV with 20 loose gelatin sticks and a threating letter near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house Antilia in February. Hiran is linked to the SUV.

“The agency wanted to verify certain details with all the people concerned in the case who were present at the CIU office when Hiran had met Vaze. The agency will verify details and examine the facts,” said an NIA official.

However, a senior Mumbai Police officer clarified that the DCP in question had visited the CIU office for some other work and was not part of the conversation between Vaze and Hiran.

As of now, NIA has recorded the statements of around 40 people and further investigations are on in the Antilia explosives scare as well as Hiran’s death case, added the NIA officer.

On Monday at 11.40pm, a group of eight to 10 NIA officers – while recreating the crime scene in the Hiran death case – took Vaze to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) after they discovered during investigation that the suspended cop had taken a train from there to Kalwa station on March 4, the day Hiran went missing. A team from Pune’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CSFL) was also present at the time of crime scene recreation, and they recorded a video of Vaze walking on platform number 4, from where he had boarded a train around 7pm on March 4.

Hiran was allegedly murdered on March 4 and his body was found floating in a creek at Retibunder in Mumbra the next day. The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) was investigating the Hiran murder case, before it was handed over to NIA.

ATS officers during their probe had found that Vaze had got off at Kalwa railway station and had allegedly contacted Hiran around 8.29pm. They spoke for around 11 minutes and Vaze allegedly asked him to meet near Ghodbunder Road. However, he requested Hiran to tell his family that he was going to meet an officer named Tawade from Kandivli police station. Vaze allegedly called Hiran from a mobile number provided by another arrested accused Naresh Gor. He also did not use his mobile phone to make the call. The phone used to call Hiran was later destroyed, said NIA.

On Monday night, the officials also took Vaze to Kalwa railway station by road, where he was made to walk from the platform to the station’s exit, said the NIA officer. The agency has also taken custody of the CCTV footage of CSMT and Kalwa station, added the officer.

NIA had seized a high-end bike in the case from Daman on Monday. It is registered at Thane in the name of a woman, suspected to be known to Vaze, said NIA. She was seen in a CCTV grab while entering a five-star hotel at south Mumbai, where Vaze was staying between February 16 and 20, with a currency counting machine. The bike was bought five years ago.