SC grants bail to former ‘encounter cop’ Pradeep Sharma in Antilia terror threat case

On February 25, 2021, a Scorpio vehicle containing gelatin sticks was found outside Antilia – the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. A few days later on March 5, Thane-resident Mansukh Hiren, whose Scorpio vehicle had been used for the threat, was found dead in the case. Since the two matters were related, they were clubbed together and the probe was handed over to the NIA.

Sharma was arrested in the case in June along with a few of his alleged aides. Eventually, in September 2021, the National Investigation Agency filed a chargesheet against 10 persons including dismissed cop Sachin Waze and retired ACP Pradeep Sharma among others.

In the chargesheet, NIA mentioned that Sharma’s alleged role was linked to the murder of Hiren. As per the NIA, while it was Waze who had driven and parked the Scorpio outside Antilia, his role was later unravelled during a probe by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) before the NIA took over the case.

Hiren was known to Waze as they both hailed from Thane and as a car décor shop owner, Hiren had worked on cars provided by Waze. It was revealed that in order to hide their tracks, Waze along with others are alleged to have taken help of Sharma to bump off Hiren whose vehicle was used by Waze as they feared he would spill the beans. It was alleged Sharma’s role was related to providing logistics and men for Hiren’s murder.

Further, the NIA had witness statements in the chargesheet which said that they had seen retired ACP Sharma at the Mumbai Police headquarters in Crawford Market on March 2, a few days before the murder of Hiren. The NIA said that the conspiracy to murder Hiren was hatched at these meetings after Hiren refused to take the blame for the Antilia terror scare.

Since his incarceration, Sharma has applied for bail in the lower courts which was rejected. Eventually, in June this year, Sharma was granted three weeks’ interim bail on account of his ailing wife. However, after the bail was extended a couple of times, he was asked to surrender latest by August 7. Eventually on Tuesday, he was granted regular bail. He is the third person to be granted bail in the case.

Prior to this, Sharma was arrested in connection with the ‘Lakhan Bhaiyya’ fake encounter case of 2006 in which a sessions court found 13 policemen guilty but acquitted only one person–Sharma. Earlier in 2008, Maharashtra government had dismissed Sharma from the force for alleged nexus with the underworld.

A year later in 2009, the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) had ruled that he be reinstated in the force. However, the government had appealed against the order in the Bombay High Court. Later in 2013, he was acquitted in the Lakhan Bhaiyya case.

Eventually, he joined the police force in 2017 and later served as ACP in Thane police under the then Commissioner Param Bir Singh. During his stint there, Sharma had arrested Iqbal Kaskar, brother of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

Later in 2019, he resigned from the force and contested elections on Shiv Sena ticket from Nallasopara, but lost. Eventually, in 2021, he was arrested by the NIA in the Antilia case. He was lodged in Yerwada jail in Pune away from Taloja prison where other accused like dismissed cops Sachin Waze and Sunil Mane were held.

In 2022, he was lodged at the Sassoon hospital in Pune citing ill health. Eventually, after NIA approached the court, the NIA court in January this year asked for him to be brought back to the prison.

Earlier when Sharma was at Thane prison after being arrested in the Lakhan Bhaiyya case, a senior jail official had written to the court that the officer had spent nearly 50 per cent of the prison time in the hospital.