Ina shocking development, an SUV filled with at least 20 gelatin sticks was foundabandoned outside Antilia, the lavish multi-storied home of billionaireindustrialist Mukesh Ambani, here on Thursday evening, officials said.
"AScorpio vehicle with 20 gelatin sticks was found near Mukesh Ambani's Mumbairesidence. The Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police is investigating the entirematter and the truth will emerge soon," Maharashtra Home Minister AnilDeshmukh said late on Thursday evening.
Latein the night, Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP S. Chaitanya said that a letterhas been found inside the vehicle, but declined to reveal its content. Meanwhile sources informed that 'The Letter reads that it's just a trailer'.
"Theregistration number displayed on the said vehicle (SUV) matches with theregistration number of a vehicle in Mukesh Ambani's security detail. The SUVhas been seized by the police for investigation," Chaitanya said.
TheSUV was noticed at around 3 p.m. after which some people from the vicinityalerted the local police, who rushed to the spot and cordoned off the entirearea, sending the state government and the police into a tizzy.
Toppolice officers, including Joint Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nangre-Patil, ateam of explosives experts, sniffer dog squad, bomb detection and disposalsquad and others rushed to the spot and inspected the SUV in which the gelatinsticks were kept.
Ministerof State for Home, Shambhuraj Desai, told mediapersons that he has instructedthe top police officers to probe the matter thoroughly and ensure that theculprits are brought to book.
Desaiadded that if required, the government would consider other measures, includingenhancing the security at the Antilia building and also around the Ambanifamily, even as the entire locality was brought under a high alert.
CCTVfootages of the area revealed that the SUV with a couple of unidentifiedpersons in it was driven and parked beside a tree on the Carmichael Road at around1 a.m.
Thesuspicious persons seemed to have fled after deserting the SUV there, butstrangely, it was noticed only after another 12 hours.
Chaitanyasaid that the gelatin sticks recovered in the SUV were "not an assembledexplosive device" but details of the risks they posed would be known onlyafter a thorough probe.
Effortsare on to trace the persons who parked the vehicle there, from where they came,what were their diabolic motives, who or what were the exact targets etc.,officials said.
Antiliaand the south Mumbai neighbourhood house the who's who of the Indian corporateworld, top politicians, official or private residences of various bigwigs,government officials, diplomats, people from the glamour industry and others.