New Delhi: The National Investigative Agency filed a chargesheet in the Antilia bomb scare case on Tuesday. The chargesheet unveils a lot of mystery in the bomb scare outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house and reveals the main accused of the case.


According to the chargesheet filed by NIA, Former police officer Sachin Waze is the prime accused in the case. As per the probe agency, he also played a "pivotal role" in the murder of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran, reports PTI. 


Waze, who was assistant police inspector with the Mumbai crime branch before his arrest, joined hands with others to place the SUV and a threat letter near Ambani's residence, it said.

"The intent was clearly to terrorize wealthy and prosperous people. Also to extort money by putting into (them) fear of dire consequences," said the charge sheet.

A fake post on social media platform Telegram, purportedly in the name of "Jaish Ul Hind", was a "deliberate attempt" by Waze to add credibility to "terror act", it said.

"The wording on the threat note 'agle baar connect hokar aega' (next time the bomb will have wires connected) clearly depicts the intention of Waze for furtherance (of) acts to re-establish himself as a supercop by staging a fake encounter as to regain his lost glory," the charge-sheet said.


NIA also mentioned that since Waze was handling the case himself initially, he tried to manipulate the evidence and cover up the conspiracy.


Waze played a pivotal role in Mansukh Hiran murder case: NIA


The NIA claimed that Waze played a pivotal role in Mansukh Hiran's murder who had claimed that the SUV had been stolen from his possession. But, later was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.


NIA alleged that it was Waze who directed Hiran to lodge an FIR about vehicle theft when Waze himself had used the SUV.


Waze tried to persuade Hiran to take responsibility for the act, but the latter refused, the NIA alleged. He then hatched the conspiracy to kill Hiran through Sharma and another former police officer Sunil Mane with the help of hired killers, the charge sheet said.

Also, Waze thought of Hiran as a "weak link" in the conspiracy who could expose others so he decided to kill the Thane businessman, the agency alleged. After Hiran's death, Waze tried to make it look like a case of suicide by spreading such reports through his media contacts, the NIA said.

Sharma, a retired police officer, "willingly and intentionally" entered into the conspiracy for the execution of Hiran's murder, the charge sheet alleged.

Other arrested accused in the case are Vinayak Shinde, Naresh Gor, Riyazuddin Kazi, Sunil Mane, Anand Jadhav, Satish Mothkuri, Manish Soni and Santosh Shelar. Shinde, Kazi, and Mane are former police officers.

All the accused are booked for murder, conspiracy, and kidnapping under the IPC as well as provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act.


Ambani family did not suspect any particular person for the threat letter


A scheduled visit of industrialist Mukesh Ambani's wife Nita Ambani to Gujarat was cancelled after the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV outside their house 'Antilia' in south Mumbai in February this year, the security head of the residence has said in his statement to the NIA which is a part of the chargesheet.


The residence's security head said in his statement that after the vehicle with explosives and a threat letter were found, he immediately brought it to the notice of Mukesh Ambani.


He also told the NIA that a scheduled visit of Nita Ambani on that day to Jamnagar in Gujarat was rescheduled and then cancelled on his and the zonal DCP's advice.


The security head further stated they had been receiving threats from various quarters, but all were related to farmers' protests that began in October 2020.


The Ambani family does not suspect any particular person for the threat letter and gelatin sticks found in the abandoned Scorpio parked illegally on the Carmichael Road here on February 25, he said in the statement.


Waze wanted to regain the reputation as 'Supercop': NIA


Dismissed police officer Sachin Waze placed an SUV with explosives near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house here to regain his reputation as a "supercop", the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said in its charge sheet.


“Investigation has further revealed that Sachin Vaze being incarcerated for a long time wanted to regain his clout of an ace detective/encounter specialist. Hence, he conspired with others to place the Scorpio vehicle laden with gelatin sticks (explosive) and threat note addressed to industrialist Shri Mukesh Ambani and his family and parked the vehicle near the latter’s residence, in order to put Ambani family into fear of death and to commit the terrorist act,” the NIA charge sheet stated, mentions an ANI report.


Former Mumbai cop Param Bir Singh's role in Antilia Case


The NIA charge sheet also revealed what role did the former Mumbai CP play in the Antilia case. It said that Param Bir Singh had asked a cyber security expert to modify his report on the matter to add 'Jaish Ul Hind' poster. He also claimed that Param Bir Singh ensured payment of Rs 5 lakh to him for the work.


A cyber security professional who had submitted a report on a post by Jaish Ul Hind on Telegram claiming responsibility for the Ambani terror scare case told the National Investigation Agency that his report was not specific to the Ambani case and that he modified it at the behest of then Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, who “insisted” on paying him.


The NIA charge sheet says that the 30-year-old cyber security expert met Singh in his office on March 9 in connection with a training programme for the Mumbai crime branch.


During the meeting, the witness told Singh that in the case of the blast outside the Israeli embassy in Delhi, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell had traced the Telegram channel on which “Jaish Ul Hind” had claimed responsibility for the blast to a phone number in Tihar jail. The expert said that he had also assisted the Delhi Police Special Cell.


“After sharing the above information with CP Mumbai, I was asked if I could give such a report in writing. I said the work was confidential and being done by the Delhi Police Special Cell and it would not be proper on my part to give any report. But the CP Sir said it was a very important matter and that I should give the said report and that CP Sir was also going to talk to IG NIA in this regard,” his statement said.


“As per the insistence of the CP Mumbai I prepared a report on my laptop computer sitting in the office of the CP Mumbai. The said report was in one paragraph and I showed it to the CP Mumbai. After going through the report Shri Parambir Singh Sir asked me to insert the poster that had appeared on the Telegram channel ‘Jaish Ul Hind’ claiming responsibility for the Antilia scare. He said that the IG NIA was expected shortly and that he would like to show the report to IG NIA. Accordingly, I modified my report and inserted the poster that had appeared on the Telegram channel ‘Jaish Ul Hind’ and mailed the said report to the official email ID of CP Mumbai,” he said.


He added, “Thereafter Sh Parambir Singh said he wanted to pay me for the services rendered and asked me how much amount should be paid by him. I replied that I did not expect any payment. But Sh Parambir Singh insisted I had done excellent work and that I deserved payment for the services rendered. Accordingly, he called his personal assistant and directed the personal assistant to pay me Rs 3 lakhs.” Eventually Singh ended up paying him Rs 5 lakh in cash.


(With Agency Inputs)