Time to say goodbye: Sachin Vaze puts up cryptic WhatsApp status

Controversial police officer Sachin Vaze created a sensation through a cryptic WhatsApp status message, which read, “time to say goodbye to the world is coming closer”.

Facing the heat in the mysterious death of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiren in connection with the SUV probe in Mumbai, Vaze has been grilled twice by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and once by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

While the Maharashtra government has assigned the Hiren probe to the state ATS, the central agency NIA has taken over the probe of the Scorpio SUV laden with 20-odd gelatin sticks near the residence of Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Vaze (49), an Assistant Police Inspector, had moved the Thane Sessions Court for anticipatory bail, but his plea was rejected. His next hearing is on 19 March.

Read | Vaze denied interim bail, court says prima facie evidence against him

His WhatsApp status message reads: “3rd March 2004. Fellow officers from the CID arrested me in a false case. That arrest is inconclusive till date. Sensing the history is going to repeat. My fellow officers are on to falsely trap me. There’s a slight difference in the scenario. Then probably I had 17 years of hope, patience, life and service, too. Now I will have neither 17 years of further life nor service nor patience to live. I think the time to say goodbye to the world is coming closer.”

This was an apparent reference to the Khwaja Yunus custodial death case, in which he was suspended, arrested and later, had to resign. Vaze was reinstated by the government on his request, based on a review committee’s decision in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Vaze was grilled by the state ATS. An FIR has been registered based on the statement of Hiren’s wife, Vimla, who suspects Vaze's role in the death of her husband.

On Friday, he was transferred by the Mumbai Police from the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Crime Branch-CID to Special Branch and then attached to the Citizen Facilitation Centre. In the pre-arrest bail plea, Vaze had denied any role in the death of Hiran.