Mumbai: Dismissed Cop Sachin Vaze Offers Narco Test To Prove ₹100 Cr Bribery Allegations Against Ex-Home Minister Anil Deshmukh

Mumbai: Dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze (52) is once again at the vortex of a massive controversy rocking Maharashtra. He has reiterated on Saturday that he is willing to under a narco-test to buttress his claim that former home minister Anil Deshmukh (74) had paid Rs 100 cr through his personal assistant.

The money was allegedly collected from bar owners with a view to stop police action against them. Deshmukh, a staunch supporter of Sharad Pawar, was the home minister between 2019 and 2021 in the MVA government helmed by Uddhav Thackeray.

Vaze was suspended earlier in connection with the custodial death of Khwaja Yunus. During this period he joined the Shiv Sena even as he started a business in cyber security. However, his career skyrocketed with the Shiv Sena forming the government. The Thackeray government reversed his suspension of 16 years and reinstated him in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of Mumbai police.

Even though he was only an assistant police inspector, he was virtually the no.2 man in the Mumbai Police next only to the then commissioner Param Bir Singh because of his close proximity to the then CM Uddhav Thackeray. He could walk into Singh's office any time he wanted.

This correspondent has seen even deputy police commissioners waiting patiently outside his cabin for an audience. Vaze would drive into the police commissioner's office in imported limouzines. He even had a permanent suite at the Trident, Nariman Point, where he confabulated with his female friends and businessmen, who wanted their files in Mantralaya to be cleared.

All was going on well for Vaze till he overreached himself. According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Vaze and encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, who is currently on bail, allegedly conspired to extort a whopping Rs 2,000 cr from top industrialist Mukesh Ambani. Towards that end, Vaze planted several gelatine sticks in a Jeep outside Antilia, the massive residence of Ambani on Carmichael Road, with a threat note in February, 2021.

The conspiracy boomeranged, but a Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren who was roped in by Vaze turned out to be untrustworthy. Hence, Vaze and others plotted to murder Hiren (47) in March, 2021. Hiren was smothered to death and his body was thrown down Kasheli bridge in Thane.

The NIA says that it has collected sufficient evidence to get Vaze and other conspirators convicted in the Antillia and Hiren murder cases. Despite that Vaze has now suddenly become useful for the BJP in general and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in particular to expose Anil Deshmukh.

The latter had recently alleged that Fadnavis had sent an emissary and asked him to give affidavits against Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and others. Fadnavis hit back stating that he has video clips in which Deshmukh can be seen abusing Ajit Pawar and others and he threatened to make them public. But he hasn't done that yet.

Meanwhile, Vaze's offer of a narco test to substantiate his claim that Rs 100 cr, collected from bar owners, has unnerved the Anil Deshmukh camp. The irony is that Vaze, who was once upon a time useful to the undivided Shiv Sena, is today putting out statements which are useful to the saffron party's arch rival, the BJP.