Mumbai, February 18 A special court here has denied bail to Santosh Shelar, an accused in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case, stating that there was ample prima facie evidence against him.
An SUV with explosives inside was found near the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, 'Antilia', in South Mumbai, on February 25, 2021.
Businessman Hiran, based in Thane, who had claimed to have possessed the SUV before it was stolen, was found dead in a creek on March 5, 2021, under mysterious circumstances.
The accused in the case include former police officers Sachin Waze and Pradeep Sharma.
Shelar, a co-accused, had sought bail from the special National Investigation Agency court, stating that he had been in prison for over four years, and that he had been falsely implicated in the case.
Judge Chakor Baviskar, in the order passed on February 13, said that there was enough material to show that Sharma and Waze were in contact with Shelar through cell phones and communication apps.
Witness statements establish that Shelar arranged for tickets through his daughter so that he and other co-accused could flee to Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Nepal, Dubai and other places, the court noted.
"Significant evidence is available that prima facie establishes the connection of the present accused with the offences, including the murder of Mansukh Hiran," the court said, rejecting the bail application.