Mumbai, April 11: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested Riyaz Qazi, an associate of suspended Mumbai Police API Sachin Waze and produced him before a holiday court in connection with the Antilia bomb scare and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiren. As per sources, the ex-CIU officer Qazi faces charges of destroying important evidence.
Qazi was transferred out of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch earlier in March.
Sources said that Qazi destroyed vital evidence related to the case such as a fake number plate and, Digital Video Recorder (DVR) of the Society of Sachin Waze's residence. He was seen in several garages where he got fake number plates made and later confiscated the DVRs from all the garages and destroyed them.
Earlier, on Friday, the NIA had recorded the statement of Mahesh Shetty, a bar owner who is close to Sachin Waze, in connection with the above-mentioned case. Waze, who was Assistant Police Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) and later transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at Mumbai Police Headquarters after his name came up in Mansukh Hiren's death case, was sent to NIA custody till March 25. Antilia Bomb Scare Case: NIA Arrests Mumbai Cop Riyaz Kaji.
On Friday Waze was produced before a special NIA court that sent him to judicial custody till April 23 in connection with his role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani's house Antilia in Mumbai on February 25 and Mansukh Hiren death case. Hiren, the owner of the vehicle that was found containing explosives materials outside Anitilia, was found dead on March 5 in Thane.