On the morning of February 25, a vehicle loaded with explosives was found near the home of Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in Asia, in the heart of Mumbai.
In the following days, the body of the alleged owner of the vehicle was taken to the sea near the bustling commercial capital of India, and a police officer allegedly known to the dead man was arrested.
Federal detectives are investigating the mystery, which quickly turned into a police tormentor with many loose ends.
How it all began?
According to Mumbai police, security personnel in Antilia, Ambani’s opulent 27-story home, spotted the green-colored Scorpion SUV parked nearby on the morning of February 25 and informed them.
The police arrived with bomb disposal specialists, protected the area and examined the empty vehicle.
Inside, they found 20 gelignite sticks, weighing about 2.5 kg. Gelignite, invented by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, is a cheap explosive that cannot explode without a detonator.
The sticks were loose and not connected to each other or to a device. A ballistics expert told India Today that the explosives, if detonated, would be “enough to blow up the car”.
Five license plates and a printed note were also found in the vehicle, addressed to Mr. Ambani and his wife, Nita.
“This is a trailer, but next time we’ll connect [all these explosives] and come. We made arrangements to blow up your entire family, “said the note.
Mr. Ambani, who is the president of Reliance Industries, has an estimated fortune of more than $ 76 billion (£ 54 billion). The group’s main business is oil refining, but it also has major investments in other sectors, including retail and telecommunications.
What do we know about the abandoned vehicle?
Mumbai police examined CCTV footage of the night the mysterious vehicle appeared outside Ambani’s residence on Carmichael Road, an exclusive residential neighborhood filled with luxury bungalows and apartment buildings.
They found the Scorpion waiting at a busy intersection, about 15 km (9.3 miles) from Mr. Ambani’s residence around midnight.
At 1:40 am local time, a white Toyota SUV joined the vehicle and the two drove through deserted streets to Carmichael Road, where Mr. Ambani and his family have lived for the past 10 years.
Both vehicles arrived on the scene at about 2:30 am local time. The Toyota SUV followed after the Scorpion loaded with explosives. The Scorpion stopped about 500 meters from Mr. Ambani’s house.
The police then say the footage shows a man in protective gear leaving the Scorpion and entering the Toyota. The Toyota then left well into the night.
The cameras locate him on the expressway and enter the Thane suburb before he leaves CCTV coverage.
Who owned the car loaded with bombs?
Police traced the abandoned Scorpion to Mansukh Hiren, a local businessman who owned an auto accessories store in Thane.
Under interrogation, Mr. Hiren told investigators that the vehicle belonged to another man, who did not pay for a vehicle renovation job. Then, Mr. Hiren said that he “took possession” of him.
He also told police that on February 17, he was traveling on an expressway near Mumbai when the vehicle’s steering stopped. He parked the vehicle there and went home, he said.
When he returned the next morning to get the car, he was not there. He filed a police complaint at the nearest police station.
Soon, the case of the bomb-loaded vehicle in front of Ambani’s home sparked a political storm in Maharashtra. On March 5, an opposition leader said that Hiren should receive protection, as he was a key witness in the case.
Hours later, news networks reported that Hiren’s body had been taken to a stream in a stream near Mumbai.
What do we know about Mansukh Hiren’s death?
The police say that on the night of March 4, he left his store and went home.
Upon arriving home, he told the family that he had received a call from a police officer named “Officer Tawde” and that he was leaving to meet him.
Mr. Hiren did not return that night. The next day, his family reported him as missing.
The police later said that Hiren left the house at eight pm and his phone was turned off just over three hours later. The identity of the police officer he said he would meet is still unknown.
When the police started investigations, they were informed of a body that was taken to the coast.
They said the swollen body in the stream had “four-five handkerchiefs” tied across its face.
A preliminary post-mortem report suggested drowning, but a full report is expected. The cause of death has not yet been announced.
Mumbai police recorded a case of murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence against “an unknown person” in Hiren’s wife’s complaint.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the car loaded with explosives is being conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), a federal anti-terror unit.
Why was a police officer arrested?
Among the policemen who arrived at Carmichael Road upon receiving information about the abandoned vehicle was Sachin Vaze, an assistant inspector in the elite crime sector of the Mumbai police.
Vaze said he “arrived at the scene three to four hours” after the local police team and senior officials.
On March 13, federal detectives arrested Mr. Vaze after questioning him for 12 hours in connection with the case.
The next day, detectives found the Toyota SUV missing in a garage belonging to the criminal branch of the Mumbai police.
Investigators believe Vaze is part of a plan to park the car with explosives outside Ambani’s home, a claim the policeman denies.
The NIA accused the officer of conspiracy, criminal intimidation and negligent conduct in dealing with explosives, and a court rejected his bail appeal.
Meanwhile, Hiren’s wife told reporters that her husband knew Vaze well and they had both been using the Scorpion for almost two years. She said that her husband was “going out and coming home” with Mr. Vaze.
Vaze told reporters that he knows nothing about Hiren or his death.
Who is Sachin Vaze?
Sachin Vaze joined the police in 1990.
In Mumbai, he worked with a team of “dating experts” – a small, close-knit group of police officers who received much of the credit for cleaning up crime in the city in the late 1990s.
They were feared by criminals, hated by human rights activists and envied by their colleagues. His detractors say that they are a law to themselves, often fraternizing with criminals.
In May 2004, Vaze was suspended in connection with the death of a 27-year-old software engineer in police custody. Khwaja Yunus was caught by Mr. Vaze and his team in connection with an explosion in the city. Mr. Vaze has denied any responsibility for Yunus’s death.
He resigned from the service in 2007, but his resignation was not accepted.
In 2008, the suspended officer joined Shiv Sena, the right-wing party that now leads the coalition in the government of the state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital. The leaders of Shiv Sena say he “was not politically active”.
Last June, his suspension was finally lifted and Vaze rejoined the force to head the Criminal Intelligence Criminal Unit.
Authorities explained his reinstatement as a Covid-19 measure to avoid staff shortages, but critics said it was a political favor returned to a suspended officer.
Last week, Mumbai police suspended Vaze for the second time. He is now in police custody. His lawyers denied all charges against him.
What are the unanswered questions?
There are several – here are a few:
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What was the reason for parking a vehicle full of explosives near Mr. Ambani’s house?
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Why was he being followed by another vehicle – which was later found in the police garage?
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Who were the people who drove these two SUVs?
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Was the bomb-loaded vehicle really stolen?
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Who killed Mr. Hiren? It’s because?