Rs 26.50 lakh withdrawn from Waze's joint a c after arrest NIA

    (Eds: Adding details)
    Mumbai, Apr 3(PTI) The NIA has found that an amount
of Rs 26.50 lakh was withdrawn from the joint bank account of
Sachin Waze and his aide on March 18, five days after the
Mumbai police officer was arrested for his alleged role in
planting an explosives-laden SUV outside industrialist Mukesh
Ambani's home on February 25, the court was told on Saturday.
    Without naming Waze's accomplice, the National
Investigation Agency said certain "incriminating material" was
also taken out by someone from the joint locker of Waze and
his aide, who is a suspect in the case, from a bank located in
Versova area in Mumbai.
    The special court extended the custody of Waze till
April 7 after the investigating agency told the court that it
had recovered "incriminating material" including laptops, DVRs
(Digital Video Recorders), a CPU etc, in a damaged condition,
during the probe and they need to be examined.
    The NIA is also probing the murder of Thane-based
businessman Mansukh Hiran, the purported owner of the Scorpio
SUV which was found parked near Ambani's south Mumbai
residence 'Antilia'.
    The NIA told the court that Waze was seen moving near
the "scene of the crime" on March 4, a day before Hiran's body
was found (in the creek in Mumbra in Thane district).
    The NIA told the court that a Mercedes car was seized
on April 2.
    The agency had also recovered a diaryfrom a club in
south Mumbai mentioning that a huge amount had been paid to
Waze.
    The agency told the court it had found the passport of
an unknown person at Waze's house and needs his further
custody to identify that person.
    Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told the court
Waze held a joint bank account and a joint locker with his
accomplice.
    The bank account had Rs 26.50 lakh on the day of
Waze's arrest on March 13.
However, the cash was found to be
withdrawn on March 18, Singh told the court, adding that some
"incriminating material" was also found to be taken out from
the bank locker.
    Seeking Waze's custody for another six days, Singh
said the NIA needs to trace the incriminatingmaterial that
went missing from the bank locker and also wants to find out
who was using the Mercedes car seized on April 2 and under
whose instructions.
    Some incriminating material was also seized during the
search conducted at the house of former policeman and co-
accused Vinayak Shinde, Singh said, adding the NIA will
confront Waze with the recovered evidence.
    The NIA also needs to examine the CCTV footage data it
had seized during the investigation and needs to confront Waze
and other accused with it.
    Opposing the NIA's plea, Waze's lawyer Abad Ponda said
the NIA can seek remand of the accused under the provisions of
the Unlawful Activities Prevention (UAPA) Act after the lapse
of 15 days.
    However, the NIA has not mentioned a single ground
seeking the extension of Waze's custody under the UAPA in its
remand application, he said.
    Ponda rejected the NIA's contention that Waze held a
joint account in the bank in Versova.
    He demanded that the NIA show the bank account opening
form with the name and signature of the accused,which the
agency rejected.
    Referring to the recovery of electronic devices from
the Mithi river in Mumbai by the NIA, Ponda said as it is a
huge river, anyone can dump anything into it.
    He said the NIA had planted these devices into the
river, which it later showed as being recovered during the
investigation.
    He said Waze had nothing to do with these materials
recovered by the NIA.
    "The recovery is based on their skill and volition and
completely foisted upon me (Waze)," Ponda added.
Meanwhile, Waze told the court that he was suffering from some
cardiac issues and had suffered a stroke on Sunday.
    Waze
had demanded his examination by a cardiologist.
    Waze's lawyer submitted in court that the police
officer has a blockage in his heart that can be treated only
by angiography and angioplasty.
    However, the NIA said they had run diagnostics and
found that Waze's heart was functioning normally.
    "We did ECG and blood test, 2D Echo..His heart is
working normally. Doctors had advised him a bypass (surgery)
in 2019, but he didn't do it then," the NIA said, adding Waze
was being provided the required treatment and that his health
was being monitored.
    The court then directed the NIA to submit a detailed
report on the next day on whether Waze needs a specific
treatment. PTI AVI KRK
NSK NSK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)