MUMBAI: State Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant on Saturday asked the National Investigation Agency to probe the “disappearance” of the digital video recorder from the Mumbai police commissioner’s office.
“It is a serious matter. NIA must step in immediately and search for the DVR. Surprisingly, more than a week after NIA took over the investigation into placing of explosives near the residence of Mukesh Mumbai, it hasn’t recorded statements of any of the seniors of suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Waze,” Sawant said.
When contacted, ex-Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh did not respond. The CDR relates to his tenure in office. Leader of opposition and former CM Devendra Fadnavis said “all the godfathers of Waze have been tense ever since the NIA took over the probe.”
Sawant said, “We demand that NIA should first probe Param Bir Singh and check if he was aware about the DVR. If NIA is reluctant to probe, the state home department should step in and initiate a probe into the disappearance of the DVR. On March 10, the DVR of the Mumbai CP’s office was officially taken by ATS for investigation, but the CP took the view that it was a mistake to hand over the DVR to ATS. It was then taken back from ATS by a senior official from the CP’s office. It has since been missing.”
Sawant alleged that in the DVR, not only Waze but even movements of Scorpio and Innova was clearly seen. “But NIA is yet to summon any of Waze’s senior officials. BJP has stopped demanding a probe against Singh as BJP’s aim is to divert attention from the Antilia case and Mansukh Hiran murder case. The goalposts were changed for political reasons,” he claimed.
On the allegations that the DVR was missing, Fadnavis said it has a very strong back-up, so even if it is missing or stolen, no one will be able to destroy the record. “Digital footprint is collected at three places, so if the DVR is missing, the data will still be there,” he said. From Singh’s letter, Sawant alleged, it appears he and Waze were hand-in-glove, and that Waze was reporting to Mumbai CP daily despite the fact het he wasn’t his direct boss.