Mansukh Hiren's death case: Sachin Waze tried to destroy various evidence, says NIA sources

Suspended Mumbai Police crime branch officer Sachin Waze had tried to destroy various evidence in connection with the Mansukh Hiren's death case, said sources of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday.

On being confronted with circumstantial evidence, Waze confessed that some evidence was tossed in the Mithi river after which, NIA on Sunday took him to the bridge over the Mithi river. The agency's divers recovered computer CPUs, two number plates carrying the same registration number, and other items from the Mithi river in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex.

According to the sources, DVRs (Digital Video Recorder) have a recording of Waze's society where the Scorpio was parked between February 17 to February 24, recordings of shops where various number plates were made, and other shops and cameras where his movement could have been captured.

Initially, when Waze was the investigating officer of the case, he got all the evidence in his custody and after Mansukh's murder when he realised that the case might go to some other agency, he tried to destroy them, the sources added.

On March 21, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) ordered the NIA to take over the Mansukh Hiren death case.

Hiren, the owner of the vehicle that was found containing explosives materials outside the house of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Amb, was found dead on March 5 in Thane. Investigation into his death was being probed by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), till the MHA handed over the probe to the NIA.

Waze, Assistant Police Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) who was in charge of the Hiren case, was in NIA custody till March 25, for his alleged role and involvement in placing the explosives-laden vehicle outside the residence of Amb. Later a special NIA court on March 25 allowed the agency custody till April 3.

( With inputs from ANI )