Antilia plot was an extortion plan: NIA charge sheet makes sensational claim

The explosivesladen Scorpio parked near Mukesh Ambanirsquos South Mumbai residence Antilia in February was a design to extort crores of rupees from the renowned industrialist and dismissed policeman Sachin Waze wanted to burst into the limelight as a supercop by cracking the case This is the crux of the 10000page charge sheet filed by the NIA on Friday in the sensational bomb scare case and the murder of Thane businessman Mansukh HiranSacked cop Sachin Waze the main accused in the case right Mansukh Hiran the Thane businessman whom the SUV belonged toMumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale while dismissing Waze and a few other policemen for their alleged role in the case in May had also said that Waze wrote a threatening letter to a renowned businessman to extort money for himself and others Initially the National Investigation Agency had said that Waze wanted to become a supercop by placing the explosivesladen Scorpio and then detecting the caseThe charge sheet says that the main motive was to extort money from the industrialist by creating terror Later Waze and his gang eliminated Hiran as they suspected that the case would go to the NIA and they feared Hiran might disclose everything before the agencyldquoApart from filling his and othersrsquo pockets through extortion Waze also wanted to regain his clout as an ace detective and encounter specialist Thus he hatched a conspiracy to place the Scorpio laden with gelatine sticks and a threat note addressed to the chairman of a major business group near his residencerdquo said an NIA sourceThe charge sheet was submitted before the special NIA court judge Prashant Sitre During the submission investigating officer and superintendent of NIA Vikram Khalate was also present The special public prosecutor demanded protection for 20 key witnesses and the court granted it The agency submitted a report on key witnesses in a sealed envelope NIA had earlier claimed that the witnesses in the case had been threatenedSachin Waze being taken to the sessions court from NIA office on Pedder Road on April 3 File picThe probe agency also told the court that their investigation in the case continues and the court has allowed it to proceed NIA said it has incriminating material against all the 10 accused including Waze former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma dismissed PI Sunil Mane API Riyazuddin Qazi The charge sheet has testimonies of more than 300 hundred witnesses digital and documentary evidenceldquoDuring investigation incriminating evidence came to the fore against the above mentioned 10 arrested accused involved in various stages of conspiracy of placing explosive laden Mahindra Scorpio vehicle its theft and commission of murder of Mansukh Hiran Further investigation in the case continuesrdquo NIA said in a statementThe charge sheet has been filed sections of IPC Arms Act Explosive Substances Act and section 16 terrorist act 18 conspiracy 20 being a member of a terrorist gang or organisation of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act also commonly known as UAPAApart from the policemen the other accused shown in the NIA charge sheet are Naresh Gor Anand Jadhav a former constable and convict in Lakhan Bhaiyya fake encounter case Satish Mothkuri alias Tanni alias Vicky Baba Vasantbhai Soni and Santosh Shelar a close aide of SharmaForensic experts examine the Scorpio that was found near Antilia home on February 25The agency has also mentioned about the key suspect related to the purported terror organization JAISHULHIND that first claimed to have placed the Scorpio but later backtracked Sources said NIArsquos probe to unearth the JAISHULHIND theory continues and they have found a crucial link to the key suspect who is believed to be a police officerTo give credibility to the Scorpio incident Waze also falsely projected it to be the handiwork of a terror organisation After the transfer of the case from Gamdevi police station to the Crime Intelligence Unit he became the investigation officer said a source20No of key witnesses for which NIA has sought protection10No of accused named in the charge sheet