Mumbai police chief shunted amid Ambani bomb scare case

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday (March 17) replaced Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh with Hemant Nagrale.

The move assumes importance in the backdrop of the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case, which has seen the Uddhav Thackeray government come face to face with the Centre, once again. The arrest of senior inspector of Mumbai police, Sachin Vaze, is the latest trigger.

Param Bir Singh has now been made the Director General of Home Guards.

Media reports suggest Param Bir Singh met Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday (March 16) night, in the backdrop of the arrest of Sachin Vaze, who is currently in the custody of National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA remand report states that 49-year-old Vaze drove the white vehicle that escorted the SUV with explosives near the ‘Antilia’ house of Mukesh Ambani on February 25.

The NIA probe has found that Vaze was the man seen on CCTV, wearing a large white kurta and covering his face, a few hours after the Scorpio SUV was parked outside Ambani’s house.

Also read: Mumbai police find evidence of second car used in bomb scare outside Ambani home

Vaze, who is credited with the ‘encounter’ of 63 alleged criminals, is also being questioned in the murder case of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran, who was the owner of the explosive-laden Scorpio. Notably, Hiran was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

Before his death, Hiran had filed a police complaint claiming that his Scorpio was stolen on February 17. His wife Vimla Hiran told Maharashtra Anti Terror Squad (ATS) that Vaze was using her husband’s Scorpio car from November 2020 till February 5.

Also read: Ambani security threat case has a Tihar connect

The NIA’s remand report states that Mansukh Hiran’s complaint, his death and the Ambani bomb scare case are related. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is investigating the first two cases while the third case is being looked into by the NIA.

A Mumbai court had on Sunday remanded Vaze in the NIA’s custody till March 25.