New Delhi

In an explosive revelation in the Ambani threat case, the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis indicated on Wednesday that the owner of the explosives-laden SUV, Mansukh Hiren, did not commit suicide but was murdered.

Fadnavis alleged Hiren's body was later thrown in the creek to bury evidence in the case which seems to have shaken the confidence of the people in the state government.

The BJP leader said that the motive of burying evidence was to save the real masterminds, who seem to be the political bosses of Sachin Vaze, the encounter specialist presently being questioned by the NIA.

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Citing autopsy reports, Fadnavis asserted that less water in the lungs of the deceased suggests that Hiren did not jump into the sea to end his life (as claimed by the cops) but was probably murdered and his body was thrown into the creek.

"If someone dies of drowning, then water in the lungs should have been in excess. However, in this case, it's just the opposite. I have seen the post-mortem report which reveals that there was no water in Hiren's lungs. Moreover, the nature of anti-mortem injuries indicates that a handkerchief was forcibly tied to strangulate the SUV owner," Fadnavis disclosed to media at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

The leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, who initially raised the issue on Hiren's alleged murder on floor of House, said that cops involved in the alleged crime have planned to dispose of Hiren's body into the high tide.

"However, their plan got delayed by half an hour as by the time the body was thrown into the creek, there was a low tide. Despite recovering the body the next day, the police ignored crucial facts pointing towards murder," said Fadnavis, adding, "It shows that someone powerful in the government was behind Sachin Vaze and other key officers who made desperate efforts to destroy evidence. Time has come to unmask the big faces in the government shielding people like Vaze."

Initially a suspect in the Ambani threat case, Mansukh Hiren, a businessman and owner of the SUV, was found dead on March 5 at Mumbra Reti Bunder on the banks of a creek that flows towards Mumbra from Thane.

According to NIA sources, Hiren was once close to Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze, now an accused in the case. Vaze was using Hiren's SUV for past few months and used the vehicle to plant the explosives.

Raising questions on the investigation of ATS Mumbai, probing the mysterious death of Mansukh Hiren, the former CM said that crucial evidence was blindly ignored by the top cops. "I know that there are certain audio tapes with the police, which include the voice of Mansukh Hiren, revealing about the instructions given to him by Sachin Vaze. These tapes and other documentary evidence require a threadbare probe. However, ATS seems to have developed cold fleet in identifying the mastermind. I feel the Hiren Mansukh case should also be investigated by the NIA," Fadnavis added.

On the transfer of Mumbai police commissioner, Parambir Singh, in connection with the Ambani threat case, the BJP leader said that Param Bir and Sachin Vaze were pawns in the hands of the state government.

"By transferring Vaze's boss (Param Bir Singh), the actual operators of crime cannot be unmasked. Therefore, the agencies should identify the political bosses of Sachin Vaze and they must be brought to justice," said Fadnavis, who also met senior BJP leaders in Delhi on Wednesday.

Uddhav asked me to reinstate Vaze in 2018: Fadnavis

Fadnavis also revealed that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had called him in 2018, requesting him to reinstate Sachin Vaze in the police.

Addressing a press conference, Fadnavis demanded that a proper investigation be done to find out who the all-powerful people "operating Vaze" are.

Fadnavis said that when he was chief minister in 2018, there was pressure from the Shiv Sena to reinstate Vaze in service. "Several Shiv Sena ministers in my government requested me to reinstate Vaze. Even Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had called me, asking me to reinstate Vaze," Fadnavis said.

Fadnavis revealed that he took the opinion from the advocate general, who suggested it was not lawful to reinstate Vaze, who had been suspended by the High Court.

"In 2020, citing the pandemic, the Shiv Sena government reinstated Vaze and made him head of the Crime Intelligence Unit. After joining back, his stature grew. He acted like de facto Commissioner of Mumbai Police," alleged the former Maharashtra chief minister.

Fadnavis further demanded that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) must probe both the cases -- the Hiren murder and explosives-laden SUV found near Mukesh Ambani's residence -- as these were inter-connected.

"A proper investigation will bring out the truth and the entire conspiracy theory," he said.