Sachin Vaze

Sachin Hindurao Vaze (born 22 February 1972) is a suspended Assistant Police Inspector of the Indian state of Maharashtra (Maharashtra Police). He is currently in the Taloja Jail for his alleged involvement in the murder of Mansukh Hiren and the 2021 Antilla Bomb Scare.

Sachin Vaze
Born	22 February 1972 Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Police career
Department	Maharashtra Police
Rank	Assistant Police Inspector (API)

Vaze is an "encounter specialist" with the Mumbai Encounter Squad. He was involved with the deaths of as many as 63 alleged criminals. He was suspended for 17 years after his arrest in the custodial death of Khwaja Yunus, but was granted bail and later reinstated in June 2020. He led the Raigad police team in the arrest of Republic TV editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami. In March 2021, he was arrested again for his role and involvement in the Antilla Bomb Scare. After his arrest, he was suspended once again from police service.

Biography

Sachin Vaze, originally from Kolhapur in Maharashtra, joined the State Police Service in 1990 as a sub-inspector. He was first posted to the Naxal-affected area of Gadchiroli.

'Encounters' squad

In 1992, Vaze was transferred to Thane City Police, where he quickly gained fame for detecting several significant cases. Rising in rank, he eventually headed the Special Squad of the Thane Police and began carrying out encounters in the city, allegedly killing over 60 criminals in the Mumbai-Thane area.

This squad, formed around 1997 to address growing extortion demands and open violence, soon became associated with 'encounters', a euphemism for situations where a gangster is cornered and asked to surrender, but ostensibly attacks the police or attempts escape, and is shot dead in retaliation.

Subsequently, Vaze was selected to work in the Mumbai Police elite Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), and along with his mentor Pradeep Sharma, later was transferred to the Anti-Extortion Cell (AE Cell), where his first-ever encounter was recorded.

Vaze's career spanned 30 years, during which he became known for "encounter killings" of 63 alleged criminals, including notorious gangsters like Munna Nepali. Vaze also dealt with cases of counterfeit currency and was instrumental in dealing with cases involving film industry personalities.

In 2008, Vaze joined Shiv Sena, a right-wing Marathi regionalist and ultra-nationalist political party in India.

Suspension and reinstatement

On 3 March 2004, Vaze and 14 other policemen were suspended on murder charges in the custodial death of Khwaja Yunus, a suspect in the 2002 Ghatkopar bombing case. Vaze subsequently resigned from the police in November 2007 after requests for his reinstatement were rejected by the Maharashtra Government.

On June 6, 2020, Vaze's suspension was revoked by the Maharashtra government led by Uddhav Thackeray, and he was reinstated by Mumbai Police amid a police staff shortage at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maharashtra. Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar said that neither Thackeray nor the state home minister Anil Deshmukh were responsible for the reinstatement.

In a press conference, Maharashtra ex-CM Devendra Fadnavis claimed that when he was Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 2018, Shiv Sena asked him to reinstate Vaze, which he disposed after consulting the state Advocate General.

Technology crime

Sachin Vaze is also known for his technology and cyber skills. Frequently seen with modern electronics in his hands and pockets, Vaze is known to have solved many serious cybercrimes. He is also believed to have established cellphone interception units and email tracking units of Mumbai Police. Vaze came into the limelight in 1997 when he detected international credit card fraud, which was the first time that a gang of such swindlers was arrested in Asia. Vaze continued this effort in Mumbai in 2001. There is conjecture that his investigations prompted Vaze's enemies to embroil him in a terrorist's murder case. After a rising career, Vaze resigned in 2007.

Vaze also came out with an innovative mobile application called MobiCID. In short order, MobiCID gained the attention of various media sectors.

2021 Mukesh Ambani/Antilia bomb scare case

Main article: Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case

On February 25, 2021, a Mahindra Scorpio SUV with fake license plates and around 20 explosive gelatin sticks was parked outside Mumbai businessman Mukesh Ambani's residence Antilia. The explosives were not connected and no detonator was found. Instead, a warning note was found inside stating that this was just a trailer (introduction to an upcoming movie). Vaze was the first investigating officer in the bomb-scare case. The presumed car owner, Mansukh Hiren, who had filed a police complaint about the SUV being stolen, was later found dead in a creek near Thane on March 5, 2021. Three days before his death, Hiren had written a letter accusing the police of harassment. The leader of opposition of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis demanded the arrest of Vaze for Hiren's alleged murder. Fadnavis claimed that Hiren's wife suspected that Vaze killed her husband.

Vaze applied for interim relief, but was rejected by the Sessions court in Thane. After over 12 hours of questioning, he was arrested by National Investigation Agency on March 13 for his involvement in placing the explosives-laden vehicle near Carmichael Road on February 25. The NIA searched Vaze's office, seizing documents, electronic devices, and a Mercedes vehicle being used by Vaze, which contained ₹5 lakh cash, a cash-counting machine and the original license plates of the Scorpio found earlier near Antilia. Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police Sunil Toke claimed that Vaze drove the seized Mercedes car into the Commissionerate of Police. An Assistant Police Inspector Riyazuddin Kazi was investigated who had removed a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) of CCTVs from the housing society where Vaze lived in Thane.As part of reconstructing the sequence of events, Vaze was made to walk near the spot where the SUV was found.

In a March 21 statement, the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad named Vaze as the prime suspect in Mansukh Hiran’s murder case. ATS has arrested cricket bookie Naresh Ramniklal Ghor and police officer Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde, who worked with Vaze, for their involvement. Officer Shinde had allegedly asked Hiren to meet him at Ghodbunder Road. Shinde was a constable in the same crime branch unit where Vaze was posted, and was already serving a life sentence after being convicted in the fake encounter case of Lakhan Bhaiyya, but was out on furlough.

Main article: Anil Deshmukh extortion case

Extortion allegation Vaze's supervisor, Param Bir Singh, who had worked closely with him, was removed from his post of Mumbai Police Commissioner. Singh claimed, in a detailed letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister, that Vaze was involved in a scheme to collect ₹100 Crore from businesses in Mumbai per month as demanded by the Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. Deshmukh's office denied the claim and stated that Param Bir Singh made false allegations against him to save himself from legal action. Devendra Fadnavis claimed that Vaze and Param Bir Singh were just pawns in the hands of the current Maha Vikas Aghadi (a coalition of NCP, Shiv Sena and Indian National Congress) state government. Param Bir Singh asked the Supreme Court on March 22 for a CBI probe against Deshmukh, claiming interference by him in police investigations.

Mumbai-based newspaper Mid-day has learned from members of Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR) that Vaze had started collecting money from December 2020. Vaze would call from his office inside the compound of the Commissioner of Police office to pay monthly amounts and if paid, he would ensure that Social Service Branch would not conduct any raids. It reported a source stating that "SSB carried out raids at hotels and bars and filed cases. The last SSB raid was in early February. After that, no raid was conducted as everybody agreed to pay the money to be able to operate."

Books, publications, movies

While in service Vaze was instrumental in forming new rules, manuals, and directives for Maharashtra Police. After resigning from service Vaze participated in television debates, and published articles in newspapers and periodicals. He has also been publishing articles on Cyber Crime issues.

In the Marathi film Rege(2014) one character is inspired and named after him which is played by Pushkar Shrotri.

Vaze is author of Jinkun Harleli Ladhaai - the Marathi bestseller book on 26/11 Mumbai attacks and also source and advisor of many books projects such as Hussain Zaidi written Headley & I, My Name is Abu Salem, Byculla to Bangkok, Adrian Levy written The Siege.

Vaze has also authored a bestseller book The Scout. The book traces the journey of David Headley, son of a Pakistani aristocrat and an American mother who easily straddled both the Islamic and the western worlds. It is a tale of deception and deceit, of audacity and ingenuity, and a detailed account of a man who coldly and systematically conducted a series of reconnaissance missions that perfected the deadliest terrorist attack ever on Indian soil and left some of Mumbai’s signature destinations scarred forever. He has been a researcher, advisor and contributor to various leading newspapers, tv channels as well as online portals.

Vaze has also authored Sheena Bora-the murder that shook India. The book is the first-ever comprehensive account of the gruesome murder that became a national obsession and shook us to the core.

Vaze is also the brain behind and creator of the first social networking portal in Marathi. लई भारी www.laibhaari.com is the Marathi version of Facebook. The portal put on test run on 4 November 2010 and had a membership figure of 15000+ till formally launched on 21 November 2010.