Antilia bomb scare: NIA court issues Sunil Mane’s release order

The special court for cases under NIA ordered Mane to be released after paying a personal bond of ₹25,000 and one or two sureties of a similar amount

MUMBAI: A special court on Monday issued an order to release dismissed police officer Sunil Mane, whom the Supreme Court recently granted bail in connection with the bomb scare outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s south Mumbai residence, Antilia, and the connected murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran.

Mumbai, India - April 23, 2021: Mumbai Police Inspector Sunil Mane, arrested in the Mansukh Hiren murder case. (HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

The special court for cases under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) ordered Mane to be released after paying a personal bond of ₹25,000 and one or two sureties of a similar amount. The judge, Chakor S Baviskar, also asked Mane to surrender his passport to the NIA and not leave India without the court’s permission.

The Supreme Court granted Mane bail primarily due to his long pre-trial incarceration after his arrest in April 2021. It also noted that another accused in the case, retired cop Pradeep Sharma, had already been released on bail. The apex court had left it to the trial court to set the bail conditions.

According to the NIA, a Mahindra Scorpio with a bag containing 20 loose gelatin sticks and a note threatening to kill the Ambani family members was found parked near Antilia on February 25, 2021. Before the police could unravel the mystery, the body of Mansukh Hiran—the owner of the SUV—was found dumped in a creek near Mumbra on March 5, 2021. The high-profile case led to the arrests of several police officers and a major political scandal in Maharashtra.

The NIA’s charge sheet stated that the SUV was parked outside Antilia by the prime accused, dismissed police officer Sachin Waze. According to the agency, Waze orchestrated the bomb scare to create a false terror incident and then “solve” it, in order to establish his reputation as a top cop. Then, in connivance with Mane and Sharma, he conspired to kill Hiran after the businessman refused to accept the blame for planting the explosives-laden SUV.

The federal agency claimed that Mane played an important role by calling Hiran via a benami SIM card to Ghodbunder Road under the pretext of transporting him to a safe place. He allegedly handed Hiran over to three henchmen hired by Sharma. The trio then allegedly smothered the businessman to death in a vehicle and dumped his body in a creek.