Ex-cop among 3 arrested by NIA

Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested former `encounter specialist' police officer Pradeep Sharma in the case of Antilia bomb scare and Mansukh Hian murder, claiming that Hiran was killed at Sharma and Sachin Waze's behest as part of a "larger conspiracy".

It also arrested two others, who allegedly killed Hiran, a Thane businessman. Sharma, a fifth police official (serving or former) to be arrested in the case, and the other two were remanded in the NIA's custody till June 28 by a court here..

So far the central agency has arrested ten persons in the case. An explosives-laden SUV was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's south Mumbai residence 'Antilia' on February 25. Mansukh Hiran, who claimed that the vehicle had been stolen from his possession, was found dead in Mumbra creek on March 5.

An NIA team picked up Sharma from Amby Valley near the hill station of Lonavla on Wednesday night and brought him to its office in south Mumbai for questioning, said an official.

The agency also conducted a raid at his residence in J B Nagar in Mumbai's Andheri (East) suburb around 6 am and later placed him under arrest. Besides Sharma, the NIA also arrested Satish alias Tanni bhai alias Vicky Baba, and Manish Soni from suburban Malad.

The central agency got "concrete evidence" against Sharma after the interrogation of Santosh Shelar and Anand Jadhav who were arrested on June 11, said special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves while seeking custodial remand in the court.

Satish and Soni killed Hiran in a red Tavera car where Shelar and Jadhav were also present, and later the body was dumped in a creek, the NIA told the court. Further, the "murderers" called

up Waze and Sharma right after killing Hiran on March 4, it said.