Mumbai: After huge criticism and pressure by the centre on the Maharashtra government, the Mansukh Hiren murder case that is linked to the bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence has been transferred to the National Investigation Agency.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) handed over the Mansukh Hiren murder probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The probe has been handed over to the NIA under section 8 of the NIA Act which says that any connecting offence related to a scheduled offence already under investigation can also be taken over by the central agency. The NIA will re-register the Mumbai police FIR in the murder case and take over the case file as well as the post mortem report.
The central agency is already investigating the case of an explosive-laden SUV being found near Antilia last month and had arrested encounter specialist Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze in this connection.
Since the two cases are interlinked, BJP has been demanding that the Hiren death case should also be handed over to the NIA.
Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh met NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Friday and briefed him about the developments related to the two cases.
Mansukh Hiren death case
Mansukh Hiren, the purported owner of the car which contained gelatin sticks and was found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence in Mumbai last month. Hiren's dead body was fished out from a creek in neighbouring Thane district on the morning of March 5, hours after he went "missing".
On March 7, the Maharashtra ATS had registered a case of murder against unidentified persons.