Former encounter specialist and Shiv Sena leader Pradeep Sharma and two others arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Antilla bomb scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case have been sent in NIA custody till June 28.
Early on Thursday morning, NIA officials conducted searches at Mr. Sharma’s residence at Andheri and questioned him till noon after which he was placed under arrest. Later, the NIA arrested Satish Mothukuri and Manish Soni from Malad.
Mr. Sharma has been arrested for his alleged role in conspiracy and destruction of evidence in the case.
The NIA had arrested Santosh Shelar and Anand Jadhav, both residents of Kurar village in Malad, and they, NIA sources said, named Mr. Sharma and arrested and dismissed police inspector Sunil Mane in the case.
NIA officials said that through the investigation, they found that dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze and Mr. Mane handed over Hiran to Mr. Satish, Mr. Manish, Mr. Santosh and Mr. Anand on March 4, 2020, a day before Hiran’s body was found in Mumbra creek. “Later the accused made calls to Mr. Vaze and Mr. Sharma. We also recovered some cash from the suspects which we believe was paid to them by the officers”, said NIA officials. Mr. Sharma’s role in Hiran’s murder was being probed as well.
However, Mr Sharma contested the NIA’s claim before the court and stated that he had no relations with Mr. Vaze. He asserted that he did not know anyone arrested in the case. He stated that he had appeared before the NIA whenever he was called. He claimed that he was being framed because of two groups in the police force. He added that he had no role in this case, and that he would not have been home if he was involved in the case.
112 gangsters killed
Mr. Sharma is believed to have killed 112 gangsters. But he courted controversy after he was dismissed from service following the accusation of killing Ramnarayan Gupta alias Lakhanbhaiya, alleged member of the Chhota Rajan gang, in a fake encounter in July 2006.
In July 2013, he was acquitted and reinstated in the police force in August 2017. He was first posted at the DG control room and later to the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Thane police, when Param Bir Singh was the Thane Police Commissioner. During his tenure at Thane, he arrested Dawood Ibrahim’s brother, Iqbal Kaskar, in an extortion case. In July 2019, he resigned from the force and joined the Shiv Sena. He contested unsuccessfully from the Nallasopara seat.
Till now, the NIA has arrested suspended assistant police inspector Mr. Vaze, assistant police inspector Riyazuddin Kazi, Mr. Mane, former constable Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gour
