Vaze’s Rise Courtesy Param Bir? What Mumbai Police Report Says

After he was reinstated, Vaze was moved to the Crime Intelligence Unit on Param Bir Singh’s orders, the report says.

The Mumbai Police on Wednesday, 7 April, submitted a report to the Maharashtra home ministry on its inquiry related to former Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze, who is being probed in the case of explosives being found outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence on 25 February.

The five-page report mentions the details of the nine months of Vaze's service since he was reinstated on 8 June 2020 in the Local Armed Department, sources told The Quint. This department is considered to be an executive posting where generally officers are posted after their reinstatement.

However, Vaze was posted in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) the very next day on 9 June, as per the Joint CP (Crime).

Here are some key highlights of the report:

• Vaze was moved to the CIU on the verbal instructions of former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. The Joint CP had also reportedly objected to Vaze’s transfer to the department.
• The post of the chief of CIU, which is usually held by a Police Inspector-level officer was given to Vaze despite him being an API, on Singh’s instructions
• The report clarifies that each incharge of every unit follows the departmental hierarchy – Investigating Officer reports to Unit Incharge who further reports to ACP, DCP, Additional CP and then Joint CP (Crime). However, in Vaze's case, he bypassed all his seniors to report directly to Singh.
• The report also said that instructions related to investigations, raids, arrests, and witnesses were being directly given to Vaze by former CP Singh.
• Vaze had reportedly instructed all his subordinates and junior team members to not report to anyone else in the hierarchy.
• Vaze was given 17 major cases in his tenure of nine months.
• Along with Vaze, two more officers – Vinay Ghorpade and Sudhakar Deshmukh – were transferred to the CIU, according to the report.

Vaze’s Troubles Pile Up

Meanwhile, Vaze’s troubles only seem to be on the rise, as a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Wednesday extended his custody till 9 April. Moreover, the court also allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to interrogate the former top cop in NIA custody.

According to ANI, Vaze’s lawyer told the NIA court that he won’t challenge the extension of remand and will also coordinate with the CBI in the probe. However, he raised objection over being taken to the CST station during investigation with handcuffs on.

In a parallel development, the NIA also sent Mumbai Police constables Vinayak Shinde and Naresh Dhare to NIA’s judicial custody till 21 April. Both Shinde and Dhare are accused of having orchestrated the last phone call to Mansukh Hiren before he left home.

Hiren was the owner of the SUV that was found laden with explosives outside Mukesh Ambani’s house on 25 February. Hiren was later found dead on 5 March.

Param Bir Questioned by NIA

Meanwhile, the NIA on Wednesday recorded Singh's statement on different aspects of the case, including Vaze’s reinstatement, his posting to the CIU and the high-profile cases he was assigned, NDTV reported.

An NIA official told NDTV that the timeline of Vaze's postings and cases had to be verified. The NIA also reportedly wanted to ascertain Singh’s knowledge of the luxury cars owned by Vaze.

"We were waiting for the Bombay High Court to decided on a petition filed by Param Bir Singh. Now it has been decided that we, too, need to record his statement," the official said.