Ambani bomb case: NIA arrests Vaze's associate Riyaz Kazi

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested assistant police inspector Riyazuddin Kazi, a close associate and colleague of controversial suspended police officer Sachin Vaze.

Over the last month, Kazi has been grilled several times by the federal agency.

Kazi was directly working under Vaze, an assistant police inspector heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch-CID of Mumbai Police.

Kazi is being examined for his role behind the planting of Scorpio laden with 20-odd gelatin sticks and a threatening letter near Antilia, the residence of Reliance Industries Ltd chairman Mukesh Ambani and the murder of the SUV owner Mansukh Hiren.

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The NIA suspects Kazi’s role in the destruction of evidence and procuring fake number plates.

Kazi was arrested on Sunday morning and produced before a special NIA court, which remanded him to the custody of the agency till 16 April.

Last month, after Param Bir Singh was removed and Hemant Nagrale took over as Mumbai Police commissioner, he effected a major reshuffle in the Crime Branch-CID, during which Kaze was shunted out and posted at the Local Arms unit.

This is the fourth arrest in the case - the three others being Vaze, Naresh Gor, a cricket-bookie, and Vinayak Shinde, a dismissed police constable serving life sentence currently on parole.

Vaze, Gor, and Shinde are currently in judicial custody.