Maharashtra Police seeks Sachin Vaze's transit remand from NIA to probe extortion case

The Maharashtra Police has filed a formal application seeking transit remand of suspended API Sachin Vaze for interrogation in an extortion case registered by the Goregaon police. Vaze is presently in the custody of the National Investigation Agency for his alleged role in the Antilia bomb scare and Mansukh Hiren death case.

In the application filed on Wednesday, the state police also sought the custody of Vaze's aide, Sunil Mane, for interrogation. This application has been granted.

On the other hand, Sachin Vaze’s custody has been sought till October 22 as the court awaits a health report from the Taloja hospital jail, based on which his remand will be granted.

The extortion case concerns a complaint filed this August by private contractor Bimal Agarwal alleging that former Mumbai Commissioner Param Bir Singh along with dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze extorted lakhs of rupees between January 2020 to March 2021 for “letting him run his hotels in Goregaon and Andheri without any police hassles.” 

Agarwal claims to have paid a sum of Rs 9 lakh in cash along with two Samsung Fold-2 mobile phones worth Rs 2,12,000 to then CP Param Bir through Vaze. The contractor also alleged that the two officers extorted money from other hotel owners and bookies in Mumbai. The FIR filed by the Goregaon police states that Param Bir received 75% of the cash extorted by Vaze. 

The case is now being investigated by the Mumbai Crime Branch

Sachin Vaze's plea seeking house arrest dismissed

Earlier on September 29, an NIA court rejected Sachin Vaze's plea to be kept under house custody during the course of the investigation. A prime accused in the Antillia bomb scare and Hiren's death case, Vaze has been accused of murder and terrorism.

The tainted officer had filed a plea seeking a three-month house arrest for recovery following his 'heart' surgery. Vaze had undergone an open 'heart' bypass surgery at a private hospital on September 13 after which he was shifted to Tajola Jail Hospital. The NIA had urged the special court to not permit house custody for the dismissed cop saying he may abscond. 

Back on September 3, the central agency had filed a 10,000-page long charge sheet in the two cases, in which Sachin Vaze, encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma were charged with murder. As per the NIA, over 200 witnesses have recorded their statements.