Mukesh Ambani bomb case: Autopsy points at car owner was alive when he was thrown into the water

Mansukh Hiren, the man whose SUV laden with explosives was abandoned outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s home Antilia in Mumbai, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances.

As per reports obtained by Mumbai ATS from Grant Government Medical College, Mansukh Hiren could have been alive when he made contact with the water. A diatom examination was done by the medical team. Diatoms, that are single-celled algae present in water, penetrate the lungs and other tissues of a drowned individual. The diatom examination cannot prove whether the deceased drowned or died before being plunged into the water, but it may be used to substantiate an investigation’s findings.  So, according to the sources, the ATS plans to send the study to the FSL in Madhuban, Haryana, for a second opinion.

The owner of the explosive-laden SUV found near Ambani’s house on February 25 was Mansukh Hiren, a Thane-based automobile spare parts businessman and an old associate of Sachin Vaze. Mansukh Hiren was found dead on March 5 after being “missing” for five hours. As per the police, he seemed to have committed suicide by diving into Kalwa Creek. Hiren’s spouse, on the other hand, asserted that Sachin Vaze, a Mumbai crime branch executive, murdered her husband.

Hiren had dry handkerchiefs shoved in his mouth, along with indications of ante-mortem (before death) wounds, as per the post-mortem. Hiren’s spouse alleged her husband’s one and a half tola gold chain, Titan watch, gold ring with sapphire stone, five to six ATM cards, and cash were robbed. And according Maharashtra Police sources, Hiren’s mobile location changed regularly on the night of March 4th. Thus according to reports, Hiren’s phone’s last location before it went off was the Tungareshwar National Park.

The mobile phone of Hiren is yet to be recovered.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) already has established that Sachin Vaze was the one who parked the SUV and planted bombs in attempts to “restore his prestige.” His role in Hiren’s demise remains unresolved. Authorities reportedly took Vaze to several sites in an effort to figure out how he committed this crime. He had also been driven to Mahim Creek and then to Saket’s Thane residential complex. The NIA is now searching for Vaze’s phone.

Sachin Vaze, a Mumbai cop, was arrested on March 13 and brought into NIA custody till March 25.

The Maharashtra Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is actively investigating Hiren’s demise, that is being supervised by its Chief Additional Director General Jai Jeet Singh and Deputy Inspector General Shivdeep Lande.

That being said, the agency is bound to take over the inquiry into Hiren’s death as soon as it comprehends the ties linking the two incidents.

In the meantime, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, appealing with him to ensure sufficient protection for Mansukh Hiren’s wife and children.