Encounter cop Pradeep Sharma had key role in Mansukh Hiran murder, NIA tells Bomaby HC

A bench of Justices AS Chandurkar and GA Sanap was hearing Sharma’s appeal, filed in March, that challenged the rejection of his bail plea by a special NIA court in the bomb scare case. The court denied bail to Sharma in February. Arrested by the NIA in June 2021, he is now in judicial custody.

“The appellant (Sharma) was an active member of a gang that had conspired to terrorise people, including the Ambani family, and murdered Mansukh Hiran as he was a weak link in the conspiracy,” the NIA stated.

“The appellant willingly and intentionally entered into a well-organised criminal conspiracy for the execution of the murder of Mansukh Hiran, which was a direct outcome of the terrorist act committed by co-accused Sachin Waze and others,” it said.
The NIA said that Hiran was killed after he refused to take blame for parking his explosives-laden Scorpio near Antilia, the Mumbai residence of billionaire Mukesh Ambani. “When Hiran refused to take blame for the crime, Waze hatched a conspiracy with Sharma and the other accused to kill Hiran so that he (Hiran) does not divulge that Waze was the one who parked the vehicle outside Antilia,” the NIA claimed.

It added that killing of Hiran was the “culmination of a larger conspiracy” that included the parking of the explosives-laden vehicle outside Antilia and circulating threat letters in the name of “Jaish-ul-Hind” to terrorise the Ambani family and local residents.
The NIA also said Sharma and other accused in the case attended several meetings inside the premises of Mumbai police commissioner office building, where the alleged conspiracy was hatched, and that the accused tried to show it as a suicide.

“As the main conspirator, Sharma hired henchmen for killing Mansukh Hiran by offering them a huge amount of money received by him (Sharma) from Waze,” the affidavit read.

The NIA said that after the murder, Sharma asked the co-accused to flee to Nepal to evade arrest. It said that since Sharma was an influential police officer and known as an “encounter specialist”, he would influence witnesses and tamper with evidence if released on bail.

“There is sufficient oral and documentary evidence against appellant (Sharma), which prima facie reveals and fully establishes his role in the murder of Mansukh Hiran,” the affidavit stated.

The high court granted time to Sharma to file a rejoinder to the NIA’s affidavit and posted further hearing to July 17.