Mumbai: A court here on Tuesday allowed the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) plea seeking a letter of request to Nepalese authorities for probe against three accused in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare case. A letter of request is sent by a court to a court/authority in another country for seeking assistance in investigation or prosecution.
The three accused against whom the request was sought are Santosh Shelar, Satish Mothukuri and Manish Soni. The NIA in its chargesheet has claimed that the trio took shelter in Nepal when they were on run between March 9 and March 20, 2021.
On Tuesday, the agency moved the special NIA court seeking a letter of request, stating that it needs details and evidence regarding the stay of the three accused in Kathmandu after the murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran, which is linked to the case. The court ordered that a letter of request be sent to the competent authority in Nepal.
On February 25, 2021, an explosives-laden SUV was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence 'Antilia' in south Mumbai.
Hiran, who said he was in possession of the SUV before it was allegedly stolen, was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane on March 5, 2021. Dismissed police officer Sachin Waze is the main accused in the case along with a few more police officials and others. (PTI)
