Dismissed cop Waze sent to judicial custody in money laundering case

A special PMLA court here on Wednesday remanded dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze to judicial custody in a money laundering case, in which former Maharashtra home Minister Anil Deshmukh is also an accused.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the case, had shown Waze as an accused in its charge-sheet, but never arrested him in the matter. Pursuant to a production warrant, Waze was produced before special judge MG Deshpande in connection with the money laundering case. The 49-year-old former Assistant Police Inspector was then remanded to judicial custody by the court hearing cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). "As he himself wants to appear in this case and file bail application, he is remanded to judicial custody in this offence," the court said. However, five other accused in the case were granted interim bail by the court. The money laundering case against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI booked him in a corruption case related to allegations of Rs 100 crore bribery made by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. Deshmukh (71), arrested earlier this month by the ED for his alleged role in the case, is currently in jail under judicial custody. Waze is also an accused in a case related to recovery of an explosives-laden SUV from near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in south Mumbai in February this year and subsequent murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran, the owner of the vehicle. The former cop was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in March and is currently in judicial custody in the explosives-murder case.