Mumbai:

Maharashtra Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, on investigative agencies’ radar in connection with the mysterious death of businessman Mansukh Hiran, has filed for an anticipatory bail in a local court. The police had traced an explosive-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence last month to the auto parts dealer, whose body was found in a Thane creek earlier this month. His wife alleged that the vehicle was lent out to the cop for four months till February 5, a few days after which it was reported stolen. While the National Investigating Agency (NIA) is on the case of the threat to Mr Ambani, the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is looking into the trader’s death and the car’s theft.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and leader of the opposition, Devendra Fadnavis, had on Tuesday demanded Mr Vaze’s arrest for his suspected link to Mr Hiran’s death.

Mr Vaze filed his pre-arrest bail yesterday at the Thane district sessions court. He termed the FIR filed in the case “baseless and without any motive”, and said it was a result of a “witch-hunt”. He further claimed that at the time when Mr Hiran went missing and was allegedly killed, he was at Dongri in South Mumbai.

“It is trite law that a bald suspicion of the first informant regarding the commission of a crime cannot justify arrest of a citizen,” his plea said, according to a PTI report.

The court, however, refused to give him any interim relief and issued notice to the state government, posting the matter for hearing on March 19.

On February 25, the Scorpio was found near Mr Ambani’s south Mumbai residence with explosives and a threat letter inside. The police traced the vehicle back to Mr Hiran, but he claimed it had been stolen a week earlier. The case got murkier when he himself was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5. His wife then accused Mr Vaze of being involved in his death.

On Wednesday, the officer, who had earlier joined the Shiv Sena during a period of suspension from service, was moved out of the Mumbai crime branch to the Citizen Facilitation Centre (CFC) at the police headquarters.

The ATS has recorded Mr Vaze’s statement earlier this week, in which he has denied using the SUV.