The Bombay High Court on Thursday questioned how Sachin Waze, a former assistant police inspector (API) who is an accused in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare case, could afford to own a fleet of luxury cars and stay in a five-star hotel for 100 days, noting that when a crime is attributed to a person in uniform, his integrity and conduct needed to be considered as well.
He wanted to create terror for two reasons—extort ransom money and subsequently resolve the situation to emerge as a ‘super cop’ within the agency,” Singh told the court.
“He was suspended earlier. On Wednesday, Singh had claimed that Waze intended to create terror not only in the minds of the Ambani family but also among the general public.
During the appeal hearing on Thursday, additional solicitor general Anil Singh, appearing for the NIA, was highlighting a witness’s statement, when the bench noted that witnesses had consistently mentioned Waze travelling in high-end vehicles. “How has he managed to stay or have a room booked at The Oberoi hotel for 100 days? A division bench of justices Girish Kulkarni and Dr Neela Gokhale made the remarks while hearing the National Investigation Agency ’s (NIA) appeal against a trial court’s order granting Waze bail. Referring to the material on record, the court noted that Waze owned five luxury cars, including a BMW, a Mercedes and a Volvo. “Everywhere in the statements, we are noting that this man (Waze) is moving in a Mercedes. How much is his salary?” the bench asked. The court also flagged Waze’s stay at The Oberoi, a five-star hotel, for over three months. Is all this possible with the salary of an API? The court questioned if the NIA had traced the source of the gelatin sticks, noting that their sale and purchase require a licence. It also observed that Waze had been in custody for over five years, and with the charges already being filed against him, his prolonged incarceration without trial violates his constitutional rights.
The federal agency has alleged that Waze planned the bomb scare outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani ’s Mumbai residence to portray himself as a “super cop” by pretending to solve the high-profile case.
