Dismissed Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze sent to judicial custody in extortion case

A Mumbai court on Monday sent dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze to judicial custody for 14 days in an extortion case, PTI reported.

Vaze has been in the custody of the crime branch of Mumbai Police crime branch since November 1. The crime branch is investigating an extortion case against Vaze filed in Mumbai’s Goregaon police station based on a complaint by developer Bimal Agarwal.

Agarwal had alleged that Vaze and former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh had extorted Rs 9 lakh from him for sparing his two bars from raids. The developer added that Waze and Singh forced him to buy two smartphones for them which cost Rs 2.29 lakh.

In March, Singh had alleged that former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month through illegal channels.

On Monday, Deshmukh too was was sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court, the Hindustan Times reported. Earlier this month, the former minister was sent to Enforcement Directorate’s custody till November 12 in a money laundering case.

Other allegations against Vaze

Vaze also is one of the 14 accused persons in the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case.

An sports utility vehicle with 20 gelatin sticks was found on February 25 near the industrialist’s home in Mumbai. The police had said that the car was stolen from the city’s Airoli-Mulund Bridge on February 18. The car’s owner, Mansukh Hiren, an auto parts dealer, was found dead on March 5 in Kalwa creek.

On March 13, the National Investigation Agency took over the case from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and arrested Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze for his alleged links with Hiren.

In the chargesheet filed before a special court in Mumbai, the NIA said Vaze was involved in the conspiracy to regain his lost reputation.