Sanjay Raut recently said, “No one needs to give us a certificate on being goondas, we are certified.” Then he explained, saying, “When it comes to Marathi pride and Hindutva, we are certified goondas,” pointing out that the party office was a symbol of the state and its people. Now, the recent stamp of the Shiv Sena being a party of goons has come from the National Investigation Agency (NIA). On Thursday, the NIA arrested former encounter specialist police officer and Shiv Sena leader Pradeep Sharma in connection with its probe into the Antilia bomb scare case and Mansukh Hiran’s murder.
NIA has named Pradeep Sharma as the ultimate mastermind behind the Antilia bomb scare case and the murder of Mansukh Hiran, while it seems individuals like dirty cop Sachin Vaze were operating under his directions. Much like Sachin Vaze, Sharma too has close connections with the ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. He had also contested the elections in 2019 but lost. The NIA and armed CRPF personnel arrived at Sharma’s residence at 5 am on Friday and conducted searches for around six hours.
According to the Financial Express, Sharma is often said to be the mentor of former Assistant Inspector Sachin Vaze who is the key accused in the case. Some NIA officials have said that they had some definitive clues that Vaze was provided help by Sharma in the Mansukh Hiran’s murder case. According to the NIA, Sharma met with the accused in the Antila bomb scare and murder of Mansukh Hiren case, they claimed that he was trying to help Sachin Vaze.
Earlier, Dainik Bhaskar, while speaking to its sources in the NIA, revealed that suspended API Sachin Vaze was planning an encounter after the Antilia Bomb scare case. Purportedly, Vaze was planning to encounter some people and subsequently pin the blame of the bomb scare case on them. Is it possible that Sachin Vaze was acting on the directions of Shiv Sena leader Pradeep Sharma to do the same? The NIA, and subsequently the nation will know soon enough.
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The NIA had earlier arrested former police officers Sachin Waze, Riyazuddin Kazi, Sunil Mane, former police constable Vinayak Shinde and cricket bookie Naresh Gour for their involvement in the explosives-laden SUV being found close to industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, and the owner of the SUV – Mansukh Hiren being found dead in a Mumbra creek. The case had shaken the very foundations of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and continues to haunt the Shiv Sena till date.