Ina significant achievement, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Sundayclaimed to have cracked the mysterious death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiranwith the arrest of a convicted former policeman and a cricket bookie.
Thetwo were identified as Mumbai Police ex-cop Vinayak B. Shinde, 51 and cricketbookie Naresh R. Gor, 31, nabbed as part of the investigations into the deathof Hiran.
TheThane-based SUV Scorpio of Hiran - found dead in Thane Creek on March 5 - with20 gelatin sticks and a threat note was parked and abandoned near Antilia, thehome of industrialist Mukesh Ambani on February 25, sparking off a nationwidefurore.
Theduo was produced before a Thane Court and remanded to ATS custody till March30, said an official.
"Thepuzzle of the ultra-sensitive Hiran murder case has been solved... This wasamongst the most challenging cases in my entire career," DIG, ATS,Shivdeep Wamanrao Lande said in a social media post this evening.
Healso saluted all his colleagues in the ATS for working day and night to ensurethe case was resolved within the legal parameters.
Elaboratingon the matter, an ATS official said that bookie Gor had allegedly procured 5mobile SIM cards for the use of Shinde and the other prime accused,arrested-suspended Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze, currently inthe custody of National Investigation Agency (NIA), for the twin crimes.
Shindewas dismissed from service after being convicted in the November 2006 Versovafake encounter case of Ramnarayan Gupta alias Lakhan Bhaiya, said to be a closeaide of the jailed mafia don, Rajendra S. Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan.
Sentencedto life imprisonment, he was out on parole since May 2020 when he came incontact with Vaze and reportedly helped out in his illegal activities.
Afterthe nabbing of the Shinde-Gor duo, the ATS is now probing the involvement ofothers including the unidentified masterminds behind the two connectedsensational crimes, which triggered a huge political tsunami in Maharashtrawith the Maha Vikas Aghadi coming under fire from the opposition BharatiyaJanata Party.
Thedevelopments come close on the heels of the Centre transferring the Hiran deathcase to the NIA - which is also probing the inter-linked SUV planting matter -followed by the former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh's'letter-bomb', alleging that Vaze was directed by Home Minister Anil Deshmukhto collect Rs 100 crore, that hit the national headlines on Saturday evening.
Whilethe Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, Maha Navnirman Sena chief RajThackeray, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi President Prakash Ambedkar and others bay forDeshmukh's scalp, state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant has warned the MVA"not to succumb" to the BJP's pressures.