Antilia bomb scare: Hiran's wife suspects Sachin Vaze's role in his death, seeks probe
Devendra Fadnavis seeks police officer's arrest in Hiran death case
Mumbai, Mar 9: Vimla Hiran, wife of auto parts dealer Mansukh Hiran who died mysteriously last week, has alleged in her statement to the ATS that Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze known as an 'encounter specialist' might have killed her husband.
On Tuesday, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis also cited her statement in the Maharashtra Assembly and demanded that Vaze be arrested.
The police officer did not offer comment immediately on the allegations.
After a Scorpio with explosives was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in south Mumbai on February 25, Hiran, a Thane resident, had claimed it had been stolen from his possession a week earlier. Hiran himself was found dead in Thane creek on March 5.
Vimla Hiran recorded her statement before the state Anti-Terrorism Squad, which is probing the case, on March 7.
According to the statement, the Scorpio, owned by Dr Peter Newton, was in the possession of the Hiran family for the past three years with Dr Newton's consent.
Her husband knew API Vaze who was a regular client of Mansukh's car decor business, she said.
In November 2020, he had given the Scorpio to Vaze to use, Vimla Hiran said, adding that the police officer returned it on February 5, 2021, through a driver. Her husband had then told her that the steering of the SUV was hard, she said.
On February 17 Mansukh left for Mumbai in the SUV for business-related trip, but as the steering got jammed, he left it after crossing the Mulund toll plaza and took a cab, she said.
The next day when he returned to the spot with one of his employees, it was missing, so he lodged a complaint of car theft at Vikhroli Police Station, she said.
On February 25, when the SUV with gelatin sticks was found near Ambani's house, her husband got a call from an ATS inspector, she said. Mansukh and their son Lucky then went to meet the officer near their building, she told the police.
The officer showed him a picture of the SUV and Hiran identified it. He later told her that he went with Sachin Vaze to the Mumbai police's crime branch the next morning for inquiry and returned around 10.30 pm with Vaze.
He showed her a copy of his recorded statement which also bore the name and signature of Vaze, Vimla told the ATS.
On March 2, Mansukh told her that he had gone to Mumbai with Vaze, and on his insistence filed a complaint addressed to the Chief Minister, Home Minister and police commissioners of Mumbai and Thane about harassment faced from the media and police, her statement said.
She asked him if he had been tortured and Mansukh denied, but said he was constantly getting calls.
On March 3 he told her that Vaze had asked him to get arrested in the case and assured that he (Vaze) will get him out on bail within 2-3 days, the statement claimed.
She advised him against doing any such thing and he seemed tensed, she told the ATS.
On March 4, her husband called his brother Vinod Hiran and said he needed a lawyer to apply for anticipatory bail as he feared arrest, Vimla said in the statement.
He returned home early the same day, and said he had to go out again as a police officer named Tawde wanted to meet him, she said.
He was going to Ghodbunder Road to consult the police who were their well-wishers, he assured her.
Mansukh left in an auto rickshaw and after 11 pm his phone became unreachable, so she called Vinod Hiran. Vinod called Vaze who advised him to wait till morning, she said.
Next day Vinod filed a missing person complaint and around 3.30 pm her son informed her that Mansukh's body has been found in the creek, she told the ATS.
Her husband was a good swimmer so he could not have drowned in the creek, she stated.
She suspected that her husband might have been killed by Sachin Vaze, Vimla Hiran said in the statement, demanding a thorough probe.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday, API Vaze said he would go through her allegations and only then respond.
Leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis demanded the arrest of a police officer in the Mansukh Hiran death case, and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh blamed the former chief minister for "covering up" the Anvay Naik suicide case.
Fadnavis demanded action against API Sachin Vaze in connection with the death of Hiran who was in possession of the SUV with explosives found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in south Mumbai.
The Naik suicide case, in which journalist Arnab Goswami had been arrested, was raked up, with the home minister saying the government will probe the "cover-up" of the case by then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
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UP: Govt hospital staff booked for sexually assaulting woman in pretext of ultrasound test
Gorakhpur (PTI): A hospital employee was booked for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in the pretext of an ultrasound test here in the district women's hospital, police said on Saturday.
According to the complaint, the woman, a resident of the Gulriha area, visited the district women's hospital on Thursday morning for an ultrasound test.
She was directed to a room, where Abhimanyu Gupta was conducting ultrasounds. When her turn came, the accused allegedly stared at her and told her to remove all her clothes, claiming it was necessary for the test and that a massage would also be required, she said.
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The woman alleged that once she complied, the accused began making obscene advances and tried to force himself on her. When she screamed, he allegedly gagged her, abused her and threatened to kill her before pushing her out of the room.
She said her complaints within the hospital went unheard, forcing her to approach the police.
Taking cognisance of the complaint, the hospital administration constituted a three-member inquiry committee, officials said.
Senior consultant (paediatrics) Dr Jay Kumar said, "The woman has levelled serious allegations against a staff member. Senior officials have been informed, and a departmental inquiry is underway. Strict action will be taken if the charges are proved."
Kotwali Station House Officer Chatrapal Singh said a case has been registered, and efforts are on to nab the accused.
