MUMBAI: The owner of the explosives-laden vehicle involved in the bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia last week was found dead on Friday. While the BJP demanded that the NIA should probe the entire matter, the Maharashtra government handed over the investigation to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
The body of Mansukh Hiren, 45, the owner of the Scorpio that was packed with gelatin sticks and parked near Antilia on February 25, was found in a creek at Mumbra, Thane, on Friday morning. According to his family, he had gone missing on Thursday night.
Raising the issue in the Assembly, the Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis demanded that the case was sensitive and be handed over to the NIA. However, home minister Anil Deshmukh said the police was competent to probe the case.
Fadnavis said the SUV owner was a key witnesses and his death had deepened the mystery. The SUV was stolen on February 18 and in his statement to the Crime Branch, Mansukh had said he lodged a police complaint after the theft.
Fadnavis claimed that Mansukh had in his statement said he had visited Crowford market when there was a bomb scare near Ambani’s residence. “We want to know why the Scorpio owner came to Crawford market? Whom did he meet there? All of these questions need to be investigated. We also got information that the same person had also called Sachin Waze, the investigating officer of this case, twice in June and July last year.”