India / Sachin Vaze paid 'encounter specialist' Pradeep Sharma to kill Mansukh Hiran: NIA

Mumbai: Encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma was assigned the task of killing Thane trader Mansukh Hiran, owner of the explosives-laden SUV found abandoned near the South Mumbai residence of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on September 3 said. It added that he was paid a “huge amount of cash” for the killing by the prime conspirator in the case, another policeman Sachin Vaze, and that he got the car accessories shop owner killed through his accomplice Santosh Shelar.

The charge-sheet revealed that on March 2, two days before 48-year-old Hiran was done to death, Vaze ensured his presence at a meeting, also attended by another policeman Sunil Mane and Sharma, so that the two policemen knew how he looked.

“The task was assigned to Pradeep Sharma (A-10),” states the charge-sheet.”Pursuant to the conspiracy, accused Pradeep Sharma (A-10) contacted, accused Santosh Shelar (A-6) and enquired if he could carry out the murder in lieu of monetary consideration,” it stated, adding, that “accused Santosh Shelar (A-6) accepted the task.”

Vaze and Mane have both been dismissed from service. Sharma resigned in 2019 to contest the state elections as a Shiv Sena candidate (he lost). All three have been arrested.

The March 2 meeting came a week after a green Mahindra Scorpio was found abandoned near billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence, Antilia, on Carmichael Road in South Mumbai, with 20 lose gelatin sticks and a threatening note addressed to the Ambanis. Investigators at the National Investigation Agency believe this may have been an attempt by Vaze to burnish his credentials as an investigator (by solving a case he had himself orchestrated), although there is no evidence of this. Nor is there evidence to support another prevalent theory in Mumbai -- that this was plain old extortion.

It emerged that the car was in Hiran’s possession, and had been borrowed by Vaze, but reportedly returned a few weeks before the incident. Soon questions began to be aired about Vaze’s involvement in the case, and whether he had himself planted the explosives. Then, Hiran went missing, and then turned up dead.

According to the charge sheet, on March 3, Vaze met Sharma and handed over huge amount of cash in a bag. “Investigation has further established that, on 03.03.2021 accused Sachin Vaze (A-1) met accused Pradeep Sharma (A-10) at PS (Pradeep Sharma) Foundation office, Andheri (East), Mumbai during eventing time and handed over a rexine bag containing large amount of cash (bundles of Indian currency note of Rs.500 denomination).”

It added that after receiving the cash, Sharma called Shelar and obtained details of the vehicle, a red Tavera, that he intended to use to kill Hiran and dispose the body, and passed on the same to Vaze.

The charge-sheet further added that, as agreed between Vaze and Mane, on the evening of March 4, Mane called Hiran, using a SIM provided by cricket bookie Naresh Got on the basis of bogus documents, pretending to be a police officer from Malad.

Vaze, according to the charge-sheet, had already convinced Hiran to escape to a “safe place” to evade arrest and interrogation by various agencies, especially the Maharashtra ATS that was then investigating the matter. Hiran readily agreed to meet the officer near Suraj Water Park along Ghodbunder Road in Thane.

Mane picked up Hiran and handed him over to Shelar, who was waiting in the Tavera along with three others, Manish Soni, Satish Mothukari and Anand Jadhav.

The quartet smothered Hiran in the vehicle and dumped the body in a creek . The next day, the body was found in the creek.

NIA subsequently took over investigations in both the cases and revealed that it was all handy work of Vaze, out of desperation to “restore his lost glory.”

NIA later also arrested encounter specialist Sharma and four others, Shelar, Jadhav, Soni, and Mothukari.