'Time to say goodbye': Sachin Vaze shares cryptic message; files anticipatory bail plea in Hiren murder case

Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, against whom the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had registered an FIR in the Mansukh Hiren murder case, has filed an anticipatory bail application in the Thane sessions court. The ATS team investigating the death of Manuskh Hiren had registered an FIR against Vaze following a complaint made by Hiren's wife Vimla. The sessions court is expected to conduct the hearing for the anticipatory bail application on March 19.

The Maharashtra ATS on Friday recorded statements of Mansukh Hiren's brother Vinod and son Meet. Manuskh Hiren's death is still clouded in mystery. Hiren was an auto-parts dealer whose dead body was discovered in a Thane creek on March 5. His dead body was discovered a week after an SUV that belonged to Hiren was used to plant explosives and a threat letter outside RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani's residence in Mumbai. On February 25, a Mahindra Scorpio SUV carrying 20 gelatin sticks was discovered parked near 'Antilla', the residence of Mukesh Ambani in South Mumbai.

Hiren's brother and son had spent eight hours with officials on Friday. They provided information regarding Hiren's communications and movement on March 4, according to India Today.

Earlier, ATS had called Meet and Hiren's wife Vimla for questioning on Wednesday. In her statement, Vimla told the officers that the then investigating officer in the case, Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, was involved in Hiren's murder. Vaze was transferred from the Mumbai Crime Branch to the Special Branch on March 12.

Vimla further revealed that the SUV in question had been used by Vaze between November 2020 and February 5, 2021. Vaze had denied the claims made by Hiren's wife.

On Saturday morning, Vaze put up a cryptic WhatsApp status saying that "I think the time to say goodbye to the world is coming closer". In the status, Vaze alleged that his fellow officers are trying to falsely implicate him in the case and that this has happened to him before in 2004.

The full WhatsApp status read, "3rd March 2004. Fellow officers from the CID arrested me in a false case. That arrest is inconclusive till date. Sensing the history is going to repeat. My fellow officers are on to falsely trap me. There's a slight difference in the scenario. Then probably I had 17 years of hope, patience, life and service too. Now I will have neither 17 years of further life nor service nor patience to live. I think the time to say goodbye to the world is coming closer".

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