As many as 86 Mumbai Police personnel were transferred on Tuesday, days after Hemant Nagrale took over as the commissioner, replacing Param Bir Singh, NDTV reported. The list named 65 officers of the Crime Branch, including Assistant Police Inspectors Riyazuddin Qazi and Prakash Hoval, who were colleagues of suspended officer Sachin Vaze, the Mumbai Mirror reported.

The National Investigation Agency interrogated both Qazi and Hoval in relation to the inquiry into the explosive-laden car found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in February, according to All India Radio News. Vaze was sent to NIA custody on March 14, after 12 hours of questioning about his alleged links with Mansukh Hiren, the reported owner of the SUV that was found outside Ambani’s house. Hiren was found dead near Mumbai on March 5. A day later, Vaze was suspended from the Mumbai Police.

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As part of the reshuffling in the Mumbai Police, Qazi has been shifted to the local arms unit, and Hoval to the Malabar Hill police station, NDTV reported.

The transfers took place on Tuesday evening after Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh met with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, according to NDTV. After being removed as the Mumbai Police Commissioner, Singh on March 20 levelled charges of corruption against Deshmukh.

Apart from the 65 Crime Branch personnel, 28 of those transferred are police inspectors, 17 assistant police inspectors and 20 sub-inspectors, according to the Hindustan Times.

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Hours after taking charge as the new Mumbai Police chief, Nagrale said that the image of the force had been “maligned by some recent developments”, which led to this “challenging phase”. Nagrale had said that he would try to “restore people’s faith in the city police department with the help of his subordinate officers” and other members of the force.

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