Mumbai: The special NIA court has refused to discharge dismissed cop Vinayak Shinde, booked in connection with Antilia bomb scare case and subsequent murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran observing that he was very much part of the conspiracy from the time of inception.
“It is also seen that the applicant by aiding and abetting in the crime by providing extortion money and SIM card used in murder of Mansukh Hiran, being an outcome of the terrorist act. It is also seen that the applicant has been convicted and sentenced for imprisonment of life for murder of fake encounter killing of one ‘Lakhanbhaiya’. It is further important to note that when the applicant was released on parole by the prison authority, he was found involved in the present case and engaged himself in the larger conspiracy,” the court said.
The defense highlighted statements from hoteliers allegedly contacted by the accused for protection money, arguing they only show Shinde knew dismissed cop Sachin Vaze and facilitated meetings with restaurant owners. Defense lawyer Dinesh Tiwari noted that a separate CBI case addresses the extortion allegations.
He argued that Shinde was not involved in placing the vehicle near Antilia or Hiran's murder, and the only role attributed to him by the NIA was collecting benami SIM cards handed over to Vaze, with no supporting evidence on record.
The prosecution argued that Shinde willingly joined a conspiracy orchestrated by Vaze, introducing members of the Hotels and Bar Association to Vaze for extortion and aiding in providing dummy SIM cards used in Hiran's murder.
The court accepted the prosecution allegation and argued, “The applicant was involved in a larger conspiracy with other accused, and sufficient grounds exist to proceed with the trial.”
