Two held for Ambani chopper sabotage

Two employees of aircraft maintenance firm Air Works India Engineering Pvt Ltd were on Monday arrested for their alleged role in the sabotage of industrialist Anil Ambani's helicopter, police said.

"Our investigations show that the two have played a major role in the conspiracy leading to the tampering of the Bell 412 helicopter belonging to the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG)," a police official said.

The duo have been identified as Palraj Thevar and Uday Warekar, working as technical helpers in the company. They would be presented before a magistrate at the metropolitan court later on Monday, he added.

Apart from the two, the police are also interrogating a former Air Works employee, Vijay Patankar, who was detained on Sunday, the official said.

ADAG had written to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan demanding a Crime Branch inquiry into the conspiracy after a technician found pebbles and mud in the fuel tank of the chopper April 23 near the Air Works hangar in Santacruz Airport.

It had alleged that business rivals may be behind the "attempt to murder" the industrialist by trying to sabotage his helicopter.

Air Works was maintaining the chopper under a contract with ADAG since 2006. Following the incident, ADAG cancelled its contract with Air Works last Wednesday.

Air Works officials were not available for comment.

What made the incident murkier was the mysterious death of the aircraft technician Bharat Borge, who discovered the pebbles in the chopper's fuel tank. His body was found on the railway tracks April 28.