Mansukh Hiran murder mystery solved, Sachin Vaze the prime accused, says Maharashtra ATS

The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) in a press statement on Sunday named former Mumbai Police assistant inspector Sachin Vaze as the prime accused in Thane trader Mansukh Hiran’s murder case, while deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Maharashtra ATS Shivdeep Lande in a Facebook post claimed the “case was solved”, even as two persons were arrested in connection with the case. The agency, however, has not shared any details pertaining to the motive or how the trader was murdered.

The developments came after the state received the Union home ministry’s order for the transfer of the murder probe on Sunday. The case is likely to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday.

Hiran was initially alleged to be the owner of the car found with loose explosives near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s home, Antilia. He went missing on March 4, and the next day, his body washed ashore a creek in Thane. Three days later, his wife Vimla, 43, in her statement to the ATS team, suspected Vaze to be behind Hiran’s murder. She also revealed that Hiran knew Vaze well, and had lent him the car found near Antilia in November. Vaze had reportedly returned the car on February 5.

ATS on Sunday arrested two persons – cricket bookie Naresh Ramniklal Ghor, 31, and cop Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde, 51 – in connection with Hiran’s murder, a day after they were called for interrogation.

It is suspected that Shinde had called Hiran on the day he went missing, posing as a policeman from the Kandivli crime branch unit. Shinde allegedly asked Hiran to meet him at Ghodbunder Road, said police sources. However, ATS officers did not respond to the queries raised on this information from sources within the police.

While Ghor supplied SIM cards to Vaze, Shinde helped him with other illegal tasks, ATS said. SIM cards procured from Gujarat by Ghor were allegedly used in the crime, said police sources. Ghor, who hails from Kutch, Gujarat, was introduced to Vaze by a former police officer, the sources said. Shinde was a constable in the same crime branch unit where Vaze was posted. He was serving life sentence after being convicted in the fake encounter case of Lakhan Bhaiyya, said to be an aide of gangster Chhota Rajan, and was out on furlough. The Thane court has remanded them to ATS’s custody till March 30. Vaze is already in NIA custody in Antilia case. Once the court sends Vaze in judicial custody in the Antilia case, NIA may arrest him for Hiran murder case too, a police source said.

ATS’s official admission on Vaze being the prime accused in the murder case is a clear indication that the agency has managed to secure evidence which strongly indicates the suspended cop’s involvement in Hiran’s murder, said a police officer.

Lande’s post, with a picture of him saluting (the tricolour), (in pic) stated, “The mystery of the highly sensitive Mansukh Hiran murder case has been solved. I heartily salute all my colleagues (in ATS), who had put efforts through day and night and completed the investigation in a lawful manner to achieve the result. This was one of the most complex cases of my police career till date.”

ATS conducts searches at Shinde’s home

On Sunday evening, an ATS team reached Shinde’s home. The team questioned his family for three hours and also conducted a search at Shinde’s home. They left with some documents, but refused to comment on it. Another ATS team questioned some others in the case.