A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Monday remanded former encounter specialist and Shiv Sena leader Pradeep Sharma, arrested in the Antilia bomb scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case, in judicial custody till July 12. Co-accused Santosh Shelar and Anand Jadhav were further remanded in the NIA custody for five days.
The NIA arrested Mr. Sharma on June 17, after it was found that Mr. Shelar and Mr. Jadhav had made calls to the key accused and dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze and Mr. Sharma. It recovered some cash from the two. It believes the money was paid by the former police officers.
Mr. Shelar and Mr. Jadhav, both residents of Kurar village in Malad, were arrested on June 11.
The investigation found that dismissed police officers Mr. Vaze and Sunil Mane handed over Hiran to Satish Mothukuri, Manish Soni, Mr. Shelar and Mr. Jadhav on March 4, 2020, a day before Hiran’s body was found in the Mumbra creek.
Contests NIA’s claim
Mr. Sharma had contested the NIA’s claim before the court. He stated that he had no relation with Mr. Vaze and that he did not know anyone arrested in the case. He further claimed that he had appeared before the NIA whenever he was called. He alleged that he was being framed because of two groups in the police force. He told the court that he had no role in this case and that he would not have been home if he was involved in it.
Mr. Sharma is believed to have killed 112 gangsters. But he courted controversy following his dismissal from service after being accused of killing Ramnarayan Gupta alias Lakhanbhaiya, an alleged member of the Chhota Rajan gang, in a fake encounter in July 2006.
In July 2013, he was acquitted in the murder case. After this, he was reinstated in service in August 2017. He was first posted at the DG control room and later in the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Thane police, when IPS officer Param Bir Singh was the police commissioner. In July 2019, Mr. Sharma resigned from the force and joined the Shiv Sena. He contested from Nallasopara but lost the poll.
Till now, the NIA has arrested Mr. Vaze, assistant police inspector Riyazuddin Kazi, Mr. Mane, former police constable Vinayak Shinde, cricket bookie Naresh Gour, Mothukuri, Soni, Mr. Shelar and Mr. Jadhav.
