SUV bomb scare case: Sachin Waze says had supercop dreams; NIA unimpressed

Suspended API Sachin Waze is being taken out of NIA office at Pedder Road on Thursday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Arrested cop Sachin Waze has apparently told the National Investigation Agency that the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare incident was his design as he wanted to earn fame after cracking it. "Though he is telling us that the motive for planting the gelatin sticks-laden SUV near Antilia is to become a supercop by solving the case in no time, yet we are verifying his claims," said an NIA officer. On Thursday, a special NIA court extended the arrested cop's police remand till April 3.

Calling it one of the "most serious" cases in the country, Additional Solicitor General Anil C. Singh, who represented the central agency, told the court: "Everybody is shocked in which a police officer is involved to commit such an offence which resulted in the death of a person."

Basing their argument for Waze's extended custody, NIA said it had recovered 62 "unaccounted" bullets from his home. It has recovered five of the 30 bullets that had been officially issued to Waze. "NIA seeks his custody to know where those missing bullets are which were officially issued to him? Also, for what purpose 62 unaccounted bullets were kept at his house," Singh said.

The law officer said the agency has just taken over the Mansukh Hiran murder case. "The investigating officer has to go through the documents of the Mansukh Hiran case," he said Singh, adding that the agency has invoked the Unlawful Activities of (Prevention) Act or UAPA in the Antilia bomb scare to make it watertight.

Justify UAPA: defence
Defence lawyer Abad Ponda countered, "Can you justify the applicability of UAPA in this case? You chose to add sections of UAPA to extend custody." About the gelatin sticks in the Scorpio, Ponda said, "The gelatin stick cannot cause destruction without a detonator, it cannot be lethal by itself. It burns out slowly." "We are short of terrorist act in this case and hence there is no scope of going beyond the custody of 14 days," Ponda argued.

Ponda read out section 15 of UAPA Act to buttress his stand that the stringent law could not be pressed in this case. The section points to actions with "intent to threaten the unity, integrity, security or sovereignty of India or to strike terror in the people or any section of the people in India or in any foreign country" with the help of firearms or other lethal materials, including poisons, noxious gases and biological weapons.

"The intention is required to invoke this section of UAPA in this case. But the intention is completely absent in this case. Just applying UAPA does not serve the purpose," Ponda told the court. "Besides explosives, the agency has also recovered two letters from the SUV," Singh said. Ponda responded, "Threat letter is intimidating. It does not fall under UAPA."

However, insisting his demand to seek an extension in the police remand, Singh told the court that the NIA officers do not know why the explosives-laden SUV was found abandoned near Ambani house. "We need his custody to know if the detonator was to be used in future after parking a vehicle with explosives on the road which is a public place. Its purpose is to threaten," Singh said and added, "The Forensic Science Laboratory in Kalina has given a positive report that these gelatin sticks are explosives."

Singh also told the court that the central agency has taken custody of two men who are accused who were arrested by the state Anti-Terrorism Squad in connection with Hiran's murder. "We need Waze's custody to know how the two accused [suspended cop Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gaur] are connected with this accused." Special judge NIA Prashant Sitre agreed with the central agency and extended Waze's custody for another 9 days.

I've been made a scapegoat, Waze tells NIA court
During the 2-hour argument over the extension of Sachin Waze's custody in the special NIA court on Wednesday, the suspended cop sought permission to speak. "My lord, I have to say something," Waze uttered in the packed courtroom. His feeble tone, however, grabbed everyone's attention including Special NIA judge Prashant Sitre.

After getting approval, Waze made two steps forward and said, "I have been made scapegoat in this case. I have nothing to do with this crime. I was the investigating officer only for one and half days. Besides me, city police and ATS too investigated the case. On March 13, I had myself gone to the NIA Mumbai office but I was placed under arrest."

He continued, "I have cooperated in the investigation till now. They claim that I have confessed to my crime but I have not confessed anything. I have to pray that I should not be sent into police remand again." Judge Sitre stopped Waze saying, "Whatever you have to say, say through your advocate or submit in writing."

An NIA officer told mid-day that the statements of more than 35 people have been recorded. The NIA sleuths have recovered the CCTV footage of multiple places to investigate the Antilia bomb scare episode which resulted in the murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran.

"We have collected multiple DVRs [digital video recorders] of CCTV cameras in connection with the case; the collective size of this footage is a whopping 112 TB," said the officer. Talking about DCP (EOW) Parag Manere who visited NIA office on Wednesday, the NIA officer said, "We had called him to have clarity on certain things."

The officer said that the statements of Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police (Crime) Milind Bharambe and former city police chief Param Bir Singh have not been recorded yet and "if required, we will call them for the same", said the officer.

03 April
Date till which Waze's custody has been extended