Suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze, through his brother Sudharm Waze, has filed a habeas corpus petition in the Bombay High Court challenging his arrest by the National Investigation Agency, Live Law reported on Monday. The petition sought his immediate release from custody.
Waze was arrested on Saturday in connection with his alleged involvement in the explosives-laden vehicle found outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai last month. He has been remanded to NIA’s custody till March 25.
In his plea, Sudharm Waze has sought an order from the court to produce his brother and to justify his detention. “The haste in which the petitioner’s brother was arrested clearly shows some ulterior motives and huge political influence and interference with the sole intent to use the petitioner’s brother as a scapegoat to further certain political agendas of some big interested parties,” it added.
The petitioner submitted that he “fears for his brothers’ life and limb” as the NIA officers can go to “any extent to extract an illegal and false confession”, reported Bar and Bench. The plea also pointed out that Waze had sent a WhatsApp message to his family and friends right before his arrest, saying that this time he may not survive this ordeal.
The NIA had arrested Vaze after questioning him for almost 12 hours about his alleged links with Mansukh Hiren, the reported owner of the SUV that was found outside Ambani’s house Antilia. Hiren was found dead near Mumbai on March 5. The NIA said that Vaze was arrested for his role in placing the explosives-laden vehicle at Carmichael road, which is close to Ambani’s residence.
The petition contended that the allegations levelled by Hiren’s wife against Waze were concocted and baseless. According to Vimla Hiren, Waze was responsible for the death of her husband. The petitioner said the media and the society at large wanted “a scapegoat to pin this entire conspiracy on” as the matter escalated. “The petitioner’s brother was made that scapegoat by certain political powers by using Mrs Vimla Hiren,” alleged the plea.
The petition further claimed that Waze was served with a notice under Section 41(a) of the Code of Criminal Procedure to appear before the police officer. It added that his family members were not provided with a copy of the first information report and were not informed about the reasons for his arrest.
The petitioner said that Waze had no intention to flee and has always shown inclination to co-operate with the investigation. “If the petitioner’s brother had any intention to flee from justice then he would have never visited the office of the respondent [NIA],” the plea reads.
On February 25, twenty gelatin sticks were recovered from a black Scorpio found less than two kilometres from Ambani’s multi-storey home Antilia on February 25. The police had said that the gelatin recovered from the car was the commercial type that is used in mining and construction and not military grade.
Waze, who was the Mumbai Police Crime Branch’s assistant police inspector, had been the lead investigator in the case before it was transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Mumbai Police, and later to the NIA. He was transferred from the Crime Branch on March 10 after allegations of his association with Hiren came to light. The NIA took over the investigation in the case last week. Meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorism Squad filed a murder case in connection with Hiren’s death.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!