A scheduled visit of industrialist Mukesh Ambani's wife Nita Ambani to Gujarat was cancelled after the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV outside their house 'Antilia' in south Mumbai in February this year, the security head of the residence has said in his statement to the NIA.
Besides, another security guard, working near 'Antilia', in his statement to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the atmosphere in the area has changed (since the incident) and it's "not fear free".
The NIA has in its charge sheet also said that dismissed police officer Sachin Waze, who is the prime accused in the 'Antilia' bomb scare case, had told his official driver, who was with him on the day of the incident, that it was a "secret operation".
The statements are part of a charge sheet filed last week by the NIA before a special court here against Waze and nine others in connection with the recovery of the vehicle with gelatin sticks near Ambani's residence on February 25 and the subsequent murder of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran.
The residence's security head in his statement to the NIA said after the vehicle with explosives and a threat letter were found, he immediately brought it to the notice of Mukesh Ambani.
He also told the NIA that a scheduled visit of Nita Ambani on that day to Jamnagar in Gujarat was rescheduled and then cancelled on his and the zonal DCP's advice.
The security head further stated they had been receiving threats from various quarters, but all were related to farmers' protest that began in October 2020.
The Ambani family does not suspect any particular person for the threat letter and gelatin sticks found in the abandoned Scorpio parked illegally on the Carmichael Road here on February 25, he said in the statement.
Another security guard working near 'Antilia' told the NIA that the atmosphere in the area has changed and it's "not fear free".
"I would like to say that the incident has created a fear in my mind. It is definitely scary for us that an explosive substance like gelatin was found in a suspicious vehicle near our building," the guard said in his statement to the NIA.
Since that day, residents of nearby buildings "have not seen the same fear free atmosphere as before", he stated.
The guard further said that they have strengthened the CCTV and security surveillance in the area.
Besides, Waze's official driver, who was with him on the day when the explosives-laden SUV was placed near Ambani's residence, told the NIA that Waze told him it was a "secret operation".
The driver narrated the entire sequence of events leading to the planting of the vehicle near Ambani's house on the intervening night of February 24 and 25.
He told the probe agency that at around 05.30 pm on February 24, he had driven Waze to 'Dnyaneshwari' bungalow, the official residence of the then Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. Waze went inside the residence alone and returned in about an hour, the driver said.
The driver further stated that Waze asked him to change the number plates of Mahindra Scorpio, the explosives-laden vehicle which was placed outside Ambani's residence, and an Innova car, multiple times.
He also told the NIA that Waze had asked him to take specific routes and pay toll plazas.
"At about 2.10 am, I was following the Scorpio car driven by Waze at a very slow speed on Carmichael Road. At a particular point, he stopped the Scorpio and parked it on the left side of the road," the driver stated.
"Accordingly, I also stopped my Innova car at a distance of about 40 to 50 meters behind the Scorpio," he added.
The driver further stated that he returned to the Innova car after about five minutes and removed his face mask and shield. Waze then asked him to drive ahead, and after a while the former API (assistant police inspector) realised that his identity card was missing and asked the driver to check in the car (Innova), but it wasn't found.
As per his statement, they then came to Waze's residence in neighbouring Thane district, where Waze went inside to search for his identity card.
However, he returned after about 20 minutes, and told the driver that he had probably forgotten the card in the Scorpio.
At around 4.30 am they returned to the Carmichael Road, where Waze went inside the Scorpio and returned after a while. Waze then directed the driver to take him to Thane.
The driver also stated that Waze had taken his phone and switched it off when he reported to duty (on February 24). It was returned only after he drove Waze home, the driver told the NIA.
In his statement, the driver further said when he enquired about the entire episode, Waze told him it was a "secret operation", and asked him not to reveal it to anyone.
"On February 26, I was attending the marriage ceremony of a colleague when I came to know about the incident from TV news channels. I was very scared on seeing the said news, but I did not tell this story to anyone," he added
As per probe agency, Waze, the prime accused in the case, also played a "pivotal role" in the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran.
Hiran, who had claimed that the SUV had been stolen from his possession, was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane district on March 5.
Besides Waze and fomer police officer Pradeep Sharma, the others accused in the case are Vinayak Shinde, Naresh Gor Riyazuddin Kazi, Sunil Mane, Anand Jadhav, Satish Mothkuri, Manish Soni and Santosh Shelar. Shinde, Kazi and Mane are former police officers.
The accused have been charged under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including for murder, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance, as well as relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act.
The NIA in its charge sheet said Waze placed the SUV with explosives near Ambani's house here to regain his reputation as a "super cop".
Businessman Mansukh Hiran was subsequently killed as Waze thought him to be the "weak link" in the conspiracy, the NIA said, alleging that Pradeep Sharma was roped in to execute the murder.
