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.