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Twist in SUV case as ‘mystery woman’ baffles investigators

Vaze, currently in NIA custody till Thursday, was seen entering the hotel where he spent at least five days in mid-February using some fake identity papers and the woman close behind him was noticed, baffling the investigators, official sources said.

SNS | New Delhi | March 25, 2021 5:15 pm

Twist in SUV case as ‘mystery woman’ baffles investigators

In the ongoing probe into the SUV case, the NIA has seized two more cars -- a Mercedes and a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado -- allegedly used by arrested and suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, official sources said. (Image: Twitter/@ians_india)

In the latest twist to the “SUV Case” in which an SUV Scorpio was found parked outside Antilia, the home of Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is now tracking a “mystery woman” who was accompanying the prime accused Sachin Vaze in a five-star hotel in south Mumbai.

Vaze, currently in NIA custody till Thursday, was seen entering the hotel where he spent at least five days in mid-February using some fake identity papers and the woman close behind him was noticed, baffling the investigators, official sources said.

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Though her antecedents are not clear, she is reportedly from Gujarat and may have been involved in some other case being probed by the Mumbai Crime Branch’s elite Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU).

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The NIA is also ascertaining five black coloured bags which Vaze was seen carrying while entering the hotel during his stay from February 16, hours after Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren lodged a complaint of his missing SUV Scorpio.

The current whereabouts of the bags are not known, but the NIA is quizzing the hotel staffers and others to trace them and their contents.

As part of the ongoing probe into the SUV and Hiren cases, the NIA is scanning all persons who had met or spoken with Vaze from mid-February till his arrest, and the mystery woman may be questioned shortly.

Meanwhile, the NIA, which has slapped the stringent terror-related charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on Vaze, will produce him before the court later in the day as his remand ends.

After a Thane Magistrate ordered the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) to hand over the entire case papers to the NIA, the federal agency will investigate even the Hiren death case mystery along with the SUV case.

It was in the early afternoon of February 25 that the abandoned SUV was detected near Antilia and later the police recovered 20 gelatin sticks and a threat note from it.

Exactly 10 days later, the body of Hiren was extricated from the marshes in the Thane Creek near Mumbra town, both incidents triggering a nationwide sensation and the consequent political upheaval.

(With IANS inputs)

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The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010. A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice P V Balakrishnan suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail to him after considering his appeal against the NIA court’s conviction in the case Considering the prolonged detention and citing the potential for trial delays, the court suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail, taking into account that some co-accused with similar allegations had already been released after serving shorter terms. The court noted that he had already spent nine years in jail and that delays in resolving appeals could justify suspending a convict’s prison term. It also observed that other accused in the case had received lesser sentences and had already been released after serving their terms. “The applicant has been undergoing incarceration, at the pre-conviction and post-conviction phases, for over 9 years. Furthermore, the fact that the accused facing the same allegations were earlier imposed a lesser term of imprisonment and have been released after having undergone the sentence is a factor that cannot be ignored. Additionally, the appeals filed by the NIA against the findings of the learned Sessions Judge are being considered in separate appeals, which have not yet been taken up. “There is also the likelihood of delay, as the prime accused has surrendered, and the learned Sessions Judge may have to take up the trial and dispose of it in accordance with the law and some of the original records may be required for that purpose. In view of these facts and circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that the sentence imposed on the applicant can be suspended pending the consideration of the appeal.” The court said The court, however, imposed strict conditions for Nasar’s bail. He is not supposed to provide a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties, refrain from leaving the country without the court’s permission, avoid interfering with the trial or witnesses, and not commit similar offences while on bail The gruesome incident dates back to July 4, 2010, when Joseph, a professor at Newman College, Thodupuzha, was returning from Sunday mass with his family, members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) attacked him, allegedly in retaliation for a question paper he set, which contained a passage that they claimed insulted Prophet Mohammed was derogatory. His right hand was chopped off in this attack. Nasar was accused of playing a critical role in the attack. Investigations revealed his involvement in recruiting gang members, assigning specific tasks, collecting funds, procuring communication devices, and maintaining communication links with key conspirators.

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010.