Mercedes Benz allegedly driven by Asst Police Inspector Sachin Vaze seized by NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has seized a Mercedes-Benz GLC that was being used by Mumbai Police’s top cop Sachin Vaze. The vehicle is registered in the name of Manisha Bhavsar but Vaze used the vehicle regularly and even used it during his regular commute to the police commissioner’s office, where he was posted. NIA is currently probing the explosives-laden Mahindra SUV that was found parked near Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai last month.

NIA’s unit carried out a search operation of the Crime Intelligence Unit in the police headquarters and also seized a CPU. An iPad that Vaze used along with some other documents were seized according to the reports. Business Today’s report says that the anti-terror agency has seized the Mercedes-Benz GLC and Rs 5 lakh cash was found lying in the car along with a note counting machine and a licence plate that belongs to the Mahindra Scorpio. There were a few clothes that were found in the vehicle too.

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NIA officer Anil Shukla told reporters,

NIA today seized a black Mercedes-Benz car. We have recovered the number plate that was on the Scorpio car, over Rs 5 Lakh in cash, a note-counting machine, and some clothes…Sachin Waze used to drive this car… the ownership of the car is under investigation. While conducting search in the car, we recovered cash worth over ₹5 lakh, a counting machine, some clothes and the registration number plate which was on the Scorpio found parked near the Ambani residence with gelatin sticks. 

Even though Sachin Vaze used the seized Mercedes-Benz GLC regularly, there are no clear answers to who is the exact owner of this vehicle. The NIA is currently investigating the same.  As per NIA, three cases – gelatin sticks found outside the Antilla, Scorpio theft and Mansukh Hiran’s murder – are all connected and the evidence links them too. The case was handled by four investigating officers including the accused Sachin Vaze. He was the second IO in the case.

How the story unfolded

On February 25, an abandoned Mahindra Scorpio with gelatin sticks was found outside the residence of Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai. There was a threat note for Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani. The Scorpio was traced back to a Thane-based automobile part dealer Mansukh Hiren, who had filed a stolen report for the vehicle on February 17. On March 5, Hiren was found dead in a creek near Mumbai. His wife alleged that Sachin Vaze, the IO in the case, had used the Scorpio for four months and returned it back on February 5th. She also accused Vaze of having a role in her husband’s death.

Vaze was transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre (CFC) unit of the Mumbai Police. Later, NIA took over the case from Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad, the agency that arrested Vaze for parking the vehicle outside Ambani’s residence.

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