NEW DELHI: The NIA on Thursday conducted searches at a club in South Mumbai, where dismissed constable Vinayak Shinde, an alleged associate of arrested Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze, had procured SIM cards purportedly used in the Mansukh Hiren murder conspiracy, from a Gujarat bookie Naresh Gor. NIA sources said the residential premises of Shinde were also searched.
“The searches were conducted based on the leads so far. The recoveries include some incriminating documents,” an NIA officer told TOI.
Shinde, who is convicted in Lakhan Bhaiya murder case and was on parole, is said to have procured the SIM cards through Gor, a frequent visitor to the south Mumbai club. A diary recovered from Shinde’s residence has details of more than a dozen SIM cards procured in this manner, of which five SIM cards are believed to have been given to Waze and were allegedly used by him for committing the crime.
“The latest searches related to the module through which the SIM cards were procured. The papers retrieved in the searches are being examined for further leads,” said an officer.
Meanwhile, NIA is awaiting the forensic report on the items including laptop and hard disks recovered from Mithi river, though an officer said it may take time as the devices were exposed to water and also an attempt was made to physically destroy them with a hammer.