In a setback to controversial Mumbai ex-cop Sachin Vaze, the Bombay High Court on Thursday cancelled bail granted to him by a lower court in the 2021 Antilia bomb-scare and Mansukh Hiran murder cases.

A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale passed the order while accepting an appeal filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), against the September 29 order of a special court granting bail to Vaze.

“The impugned order of the special court is quashed and set aside. The appeal by the NIA is allowed,” the High Court order said.

Vaze is an accused in the Antilia bomb scare case, wherein an SUV laden with explosives was recovered near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s Mumbai residence in February 2021.

Hiren was one of a possible witness in the case who was later found murdered.

The High Court had earlier imposed an interim stay on the bail granted to the former Assistant Police Inspector Vaze by the Special NIA Court, resulting in Vaze remaining in judicial custody in Thane Central Prison where he has been lodged for the past five years.

The NIA had opposed the controversial dismissed cop’s bail, claiming that Vaze could tamper with witnesses and destroy evidence.

“He (Vaze) was earlier charged in a fake encounter case. He was a police officer who had the duty of protecting the public. But he himself indulged in criminal activities where he not just tried to instill fear and terror but he murdered a person,” the NIA’s lawyer said.

Earlier while hearing the NIA’s appeal in October, the High Court expressed surprise over Vaze’s lifestyle, including the use of high-end cars.

The bench also flagged Vaze’s extended stay of about 100 days in a room booked at the Oberoi hotel, asking how an officer of the rank of Assistant Police Inspector could afford to drive high-end vehicles.

The High Court said that these aspects of Vaze’s financial situation, conduct, and professional record were relevant to assessing the charges against him.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, representing the NIA, shared with the High Court witness statements that mentioned that Vaze used expensive and luxury vehicles while he was an Assistant Police Inspector.

During the hearing, Anil Singh read out a witness statement, which said that Vaze travelled in a black Mercedes and asked those accompanying him to turn off their mobile phones.

The court then asked whether the Mercedes belonged to Vaze and whether there was any evidence that the vehicle was registered in his name.

After the NIA responded in the affirmative, the court asked whether it was normal for an Assistant Police Inspector to own such an expensive car.

The court remarked, “Since we have not yet seen an Assistant Police Inspector driving a Mercedes…”

The court also sought information from the NIA regarding Vaze’s other vehicles and reviewed a list of five vehicles he used while serving as Assistant Police Inspector.

This list included a white BMW, a black Volvo, a white Mercedes, a white Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, and another black Mercedes.

Seeing the number of vehicles, the court said, “He (Sachin Vaze) owns five vehicles…”

The court noted that, according to statements submitted by the NIA, Vaze travelled in a high-end Mercedes to the Mumbai Police Commissioner’s office and the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s residence, ‘Varsha’.

NIA’s lawyer Anil Singh also told the court that Vaze had stayed at a seven-star hotel in South Mumbai for around 100 days.

The court asked how a police officer, earning a monthly salary of around Rs 90,000 at the time, could afford such an expensive lifestyle.

The NIA said that these vehicles owned and used by Vaze are being linked to alleged extortion in the case.

The Kolkata Police arrested six people, including five women, after busting a fake call centre in the Dalhousie area of central Kolkata that allegedly cheated people across the country by promising lifetime internet access under a fictitious Pradhan Mantri Wi-Fi Yojana, a senior police officer said on Thursday.

The arrests followed allegations that the accused were collecting money from unsuspecting people by posing as government representatives and offering them benefits under the purported scheme. Several mobile phones, laptops and a massive database containing customer information were seized during the raid.

Investigators suspect that the fraudsters cheated people of crores of rupees through the operation. The police have launched a detailed probe to establish the extent of the fraud, identify other members of the racket and trace the money collected from victims.

According to the police officer, the operators of the fake call centre claimed that a new Pradhan Mantri Wi-Fi Yojana had been launched by the government. They allegedly told prospective customers that by paying a small amount as the first instalment, they would be entitled to use Wi-Fi services anywhere in the country for the rest of their lives.

The attractive offer reportedly persuaded several people to part with their money. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the alleged victims were from different parts of the country, including a large number from Kolkata.

The accused allegedly contacted people over the phone, introduced themselves as government representatives and explained the purported benefits of the scheme. They followed a prepared script to convince customers to make payments, police said.

Acting on a tip-off received from a confidential source, the Kolkata Police detectives raided the call centre at Government Place (East) in the Dalhousie area on Wednesday. Six people, including five women, were arrested during the operation.

Krishnendu Saha, the manager of the call centre, is among those arrested.

During the search, investigators recovered several mobile phones, laptops, a large customer database and a written script allegedly used by the telecallers to lure prospective victims.

The police are questioning the arrested persons to ascertain how the racket operated, how many people were cheated and whether other individuals or organisations were involved in running the operation. Investigators are also examining the seized electronic devices and customer records to identify more victims.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka arrived at the Delhi Police Crime Branch office in Rajouri Garden on Thursday for questioning in connection with the Jantar Mantar protest case.

Das and Ranka were summoned by the Delhi Police to appear for questioning on Thursday in connection with the protest case. They were asked to appear before the Delhi Police Crime Branch office in Rajouri Garden at noon.

Das and Ranka had been summoned by the Delhi Police earlier in October as well. However, they skipped the summons and later sought more time to appear before the Crime Branch for questioning.

The protest cases against the CJP leaders were transferred to the Crime Branch in October. The cases are in connection with the incident on October 13, when Das, Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde, along with 11 others, trespassed into Jantar Mantar, which has been de-notified as the designated protesting site.

All were detained by the Delhi Police. While Shinde was released on bail bond, Das and Ranka remained in judicial custody for a week.

The CJP members were protesting against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

On October 21, Das and Ranka were released from Tihar Jail following a week in judicial custody, after submitting written undertakings before a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM), assuring that they would maintain peace and refrain from calling for protests at Jantar Mantar until the site is de-notified in accordance with law.

SEM Ritu Raj directed the release of the two activists after they furnished personal bonds and surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each until the conclusion of the inquiry in connection with the Jantar Mantar trespassing case.

In their written undertakings, both activists promised not to commit any breach of peace and expressed full faith in the judiciary and all its instruments, including the SEM court.

The SEM court observed that the immediate measures required under Section 135(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prevent a breach of peace or disturbance of public tranquillity could be adequately secured through the execution of bonds, supported by the written undertakings.