Bomb scare near Antilia: Mansukh Hiren death case transferred to NIA

Investigation of Mansukh Hiren death case has been transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday. 

NIA will investigate the case relating to the recovery of explosives from a car parked near Mukesh Ambani's residence in Mumbai.

NIA is in the process of re-registering the case, the probe agency said. 

The latest development comes in the wake of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday saying that the state police were capable of solving the case of auto parts dealer Mansukh Hiren's death and the recovery of a car with explosives near the residence industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

Making a statement in the state Assembly, Deshmukh said after Hiren's wife expressed suspicion that her husband may have been murdered, the ATS registered a case against unidentified persons under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy).

Hiren, a resident of neighbouring Thane district, was in possession of the car which was later found with explosives outside Ambani's residence here last month.

The body of Hiren (46), an automobile accessories dealer, was found in a creek in Thane on March 5, hours after he went "missing".

The car, a Scorpio, with 20 gelatin sticks inside was found near 'Antilia', the multi-storey residence of Mukesh Ambani in south Mumbai, on February 25.

Police had said the vehicle was stolen from Airoli- Mulund Bridge on February 18.

Deshmukh said in the House that an appropriate probe was being conducted into the entire case.

"The Maharashtra Police are capable of solving the case. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has begun its probe into it," he said.

Earlier, talking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan complex, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said the state government should be ashamed of itself for failing to provide protection to Hiren.

"I was insisting from day one that Hiren's life was in danger...the ATS, which has now taken over the probe has filed a case of murder and causing disappearance of evidence. Hiren was a key witness in this investigation," Fadnavis claimed.

Hiren purportedly wrote a letter on March 2 to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and police commissioners of Thane and Mumbai, alleging that he was being harassed by the police and media since the vehicle was found outside mbani's house.

He had also claimed that despite being a victim, he was treated like an accused.

Two days after the body of Hiren was found in a creek, the Maharashtra ATS on Sunday registered a case of murder against unidentified persons, an official said.

The formal orders to hand over the probe into the death of Hiren (46) to the ATS were issued on Saturday late night.

The Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) registered the FIR against unidentified persons on the order of the state home department under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder, disappearance of evidence, and a criminal conspiracy, the official said.

Accordingly, all the documents related to the case were handed over to the ATS by Mumbra police in Thane district.