The Supreme Court has granted a three-week-long interim bail to ex-cop Pradeep Sharma, who was arrested in connection with the 2021 Antilia bomb scare and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiren. The bail was granted as his wife had to undergo surgery
On February 25, 2021, a green Mahindra Scorpio SUV filled with explosives was found near billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence. It contained 20 gelignite sticks. Further, a note found inside the vehicle, addressed to RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani and Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Ambani, said that the ‘act was a prelude and threatened additional violence’
The vehicle was traced to Mansukh Hiren, a car-décor shop owner who had reported it stolen the previous week. A week later, Hiren was found dead in a Mumbai creek. Later, Sachin Vaze, a Mumbai Police officer known to Hiren, was arrested for his involvement in placing the explosive-laden vehicle near Antilia
Amid a chain of reactions, the then Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh was asked to resign. He wrote a letter to the then Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray alleging that Vaze was operating at the behest of the then Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. The latter was also forced to resign after the Bombay High Court directed a CBI probe
The explosives found outside Mukesh Ambani’s house Antilia weighed 2.5 kg and were not assembled nor was any detonator or battery attached to it. Although they were commercial-grade explosives, they had the capacity to blow up the car and impact a radius of 350 metres
The car also had several vehicle number plates, some of which also matched that of the security vehicles used by the Ambani family. The threat note was found in a bag next to the driver’s seat with the Ambani-owned IPL team Mumbai Indians logo on it
On March 5, Mansukh Hiren’s body was recovered from Kalwa creek. He was wearing a face mask. In a March 21 statement, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad called Sachin Vaze, the prime suspect in Hiren's death and Antilia bomb scare
After Sachin Vaze's arrest, the NIA searched his office and seized documents, electronic devices, and a Mercedes vehicle used by Vaze, which contained Rs 5 lakh in cash, a cash-counting machine and the original license plates of the Scorpio found earlier near Antilia. The then-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was also arrested by ED in a case of money laundering
Retired police officer Pradeep Sharma, known for being Mumbai Police’s encounter specialist, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency on charges of providing funds to his accomplice Santosh Shelar to kill Mansukh Hiren. The NIA said that Pradeep Sharma had received Rs 45 lakh from Sachin Waze to murder businessman Mansukh Hiren