Dismissed cop aided and abetted Sachin Vaze, prime accused in Antilia explosive scare, in collecting evidence with intent to destroy it.
The material brought on record by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) prima facie suggests that the dismissed Assistant Inspector of Police (API) Riyazuddin Qazi Antilia was part of a conspiracy hatched by the fear of explosives and former associate and prime accused in the Mansukh deer murder case, Sachin Wez, the special NIA court saw the dismissal of Qazi's bail plea on March 1.
In the detailed order available on Friday, Special Judge AT Wankhede said: "Prima facie, it appears from the past and subsequent conduct of the applicant/accused (Qazi) that he had knowledge of the main object/objective of the conspiracy at Carmichael Road. Designed to hold a gelatin-laden vehicle.
“In the discharge of the same and for missing the evidence and to screen the offender, the applicant/accused, at the instance of accused No. 1 – Sachin Waaze – collected DVRs, CPUs, etc. to destroy the evidence,” said the special judge. , "Finally, the applicant/accused aided and abetted the commission of an offense under the UAPA [Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act]."
On February 25, 2021, a Mahindra Scorpio was found abandoned near Antilia, industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence on Carmichael Road in south Mumbai, containing a duffel bag containing 20 loose gelatin sticks and a note in which his family was known. Threatened to kill. On March 5, the body of Mansukh Deer, a Thane-based businessman who was in possession of the SUV, was dumped in a drain at Reti Bunder near Mumbai.
Mumbai Crime Branch's Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU), led by Vaze, initially investigated the case, during which Vaze and his team, including Qazi, collected Call Detail Records (CDRs) and Digital Video Recorders (DVRs). Did it to the case.
On March 8, the Home Ministry issued a notification, directing the NIA to handle the case. After interrogating Waze for several hours, the agency arrested him on March 9. The agency arrested Qazi on April 10, alleging that he was part of a larger conspiracy hatched by Waze, which assisted and abetted the gathering and destruction of vital evidence revealing Waze's involvement in the case. .
The federal agency, in its chargesheet, claimed that Qazi assisted in arranging for fake vehicle registration number plates used in the commission of the crime, illegally capturing CCTV, DVR and destroying evidence, including those alleged by Waze. The movement of used vehicles was captured. Illegal CCTV DVRs and records of shops and shops on Carmichael Road from where Waze had bought fake vehicle number plates.
The special court rejected Qazi's contention that he had collected CCTV, DVR etc. as part of his duty - as ordered by his superior, the CIU chief - and there was no evidence to show that He was part of a bigger conspiracy. His lawyers claimed that even if the charges against him were taken to be true, the offense of conspiracy to destroy evidence was a bailable offence, and he was entitled to bail as a matter of right.
The court observed, "Indeed the articles like DVR, CPU etc. which were seized or detained by the applicant/accused were neither confiscated nor sealed without preparation of panchnama in the presence of five witnesses. " "After the said items were recovered, they were simply kept in the server room of the CIU office and only stickers were pasted on it."
“Prima facie, the sole intention behind confiscation of these articles is to destroy the entire evidence pointing to the involvement of the vehicle, the person using the same and the person producing the fake number plates. Doing such an act cannot be part of the duty of the applicant/accused,” the court said.
Who is Riyazuddin Qazi?
Riyazuddin Hasimuddin Qazi had served in the police department for 20 years and was posted in the CIU since 2017. He was suspended on April 12, 2021 - two days after his arrest by the NIA and eventually dismissed from service by order of May 21, 2021. The NIA investigation has revealed:
1. The Qazi allegedly helped Sachin Waje to install fake vehicle number plates
2. Two days after an explosives-laden SUV was found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani's south Mumbai resident, Qazi along with other CIU employees visited Nikhil Villa, Sadhguru Car Decor and Classic Car Decor (owned by Mansukh Hiran in Thane) near Antilia. DVRs seized from shops). ), and the Saket Co-operative Housing Society in Thane, where Vaze lived.
3. Qazi allegedly visited Arihant Cars, Mulund on March 1, 2021 and seized the DVR without any documents
4. On 2nd March CIU team visited Bunty Radium in Vikhroli and seized a CPU, Register, Bill Book for the year 2020 without any documents.
5. On March 9, a day after NIA took over investigation in the case, Kazi and API Prakash Howal allegedly travelled with Vaze in his Mercedes-Benz to the Bandra Kurla Complex, where they witnessed, albeit from some distance, Vaze throwing some important pieces of evidence seized by the CIU team in the Mithi river with an intention to destroy the same.