NIA raids South Mumbai hotel, seizes proof related to SIM cards Sachin Waze used

NIA SP Vikram Khalate (centre) at the site of the raid on Thursday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted searches at a South Mumbai hotel and social club near Babulnath in connection with the Mansukh Hiran murder and Ambani bomb scare case. During the search operation, the NIA's Mumbai Superintendent Vikram Khalate was also present.

NIA officials reached the hotel in the evening and all the customers were asked to leave the premises. According to sources, the raids were conducted on the basis of the statements of the arrested accused, including suspended API Sachin Waze. The agency had information that the person running the hotel had procured multiple SIM cards and handed them to arrested accused Naresh Gor, who handed them to arrested accused Vinayak Shinde, who then gave them to Waze. "The searches were carried out after we got some leads in an ongoing probe, some important evidence has been seized but we cannot reveal the details," a senior NIA officer said.

The SIM cards were procured from Gujarat, and Waze used them in the alleged crime. In its probe, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has claimed that one of the SIM cards was used to call Hiran on March 4, where the caller posed as Taware. The ATS believes that the caller was Waze. The card was active in the vicinity of Thane on March 4 and switched off late at night in Andheri.

Documents seized

During the searches on Thursday, documents pertaining to the SIM cards were seized from the hotel, besides some other material that indicated that alleged kickbacks being paid to government servants, an officer said. The officer said that Waze allegedly killed Hiran after reports started surfacing that the case would be handed over to the central agency for probe

Another NIA team conducted a raid in a Mira Road flat. The flat was closed and a duplicate key was procured. The raid went on for four hours.

During the probe, the NIA also found CCTV footage from Bandra Worli Sea Link of an Audi car, where two people are seen in the vehicle. The agency suspects that the people are Waze and Shinde. It also believes that the duo went to Godhbunder Road on March 3 to recce the place where Hiran was allegedly killed and his body was dumped in the creek.

The body of Hiran, who was in possession of the SUV used in the security scare incident, was found in a creek in the Mumbra town of the neighbouring Thane district on March 5. Initial investigations suggested that Hiran was called to a place where he was made unconscious with the help of some drugs before being smothered to death. His vehicle was found outside Ambani's house in Mumbai on February 25 with gelatin sticks and a threat note.

The NIA has said in the court that Waze had taken the car from Hiran before allegedly planting the explosives and parking it outside Ambani's house on February 25. Waze was arrested on March 13 by the NIA and is at present in the custody of the agency till April 3. The Maharashtra ATS, which was initially probing the Hiran murder case, had arrested Gor and Shinde. This case was also taken over by the NIA and the duo is in the custody of the agency till April 10.

Woman brought to NIA

Late on Thursday night, the NIA also brought in a woman at its Peddar Road office. The woman had covered her face and as such could not be identified. The NIA refused to divulge further details.

With Agency inputs