A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday granted bail to dismissed police officer Sachin Waze in the 2021 Antilia explosives scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case.
Besides, the court has also ordered him to surrender his passport and barred him from entering Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts except to attend the trial. Accordingly, a police officer Sunil Mane, also arrested in the case, drew Hiran out of his house and handed him over to four contract killers provided by Sharma. The quartet smothered the trader and dumped his body in the creek near Mumbra.
Special judge Chakor Bawiskar has granted Waze bail on furnishing a personal bond of ₹ 1 lakh and one more surety in the same amount. The first FIR, triggered by Thane-based auto parts dealer Mansukh Hiran’s complaint about his Mahindra Scorpio being stolen, was registered on February 18. On February 25, the same vehicle was found parked outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence, Antilia, with 20 gelatin sticks and a threat letter, triggering a second FIR. Hiran went missing on March 4 after allegedly leaving home to meet a police officer; his body was recovered from a creek in Thane the next morning. The third FIR was registered on March 7 after his wife, Vimala Hiran, complained to the Anti-Terrorism Squad regarding alleged foul play leading to his death. The central government transferred the three cases to NIA, which arrested Sachin Waze in March 2021.
