Two days after the body of Mansukh Hiren, a car parts dealer linked to an SUV filled with explosives found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's Mumbai home last week, was found in a creek, the Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) today registered a case of murder against unidentified people, an official said.
Hiren Mansukh, 45, was found dead on the banks of a creek along the Mumbra-Reti Bunder road in neighboring Thane on Friday morning, the police had said.
The formal orders to hand over the probe into the death of the man to the ATS were issued on Saturday late night.
The Anti-terrorism Squad registered the case against unidentified people on the order of the state home department under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder, disappearance of evidence, and a criminal conspiracy, the official said.
All the documents related to the case were handed over to the ATS by Mumbra police in Thane district.
Earlier, family members of the the man had demanded registration of a murder case and refused to take possession of his body. However, they finally agreed to claim the body on Saturday on the intervention of senior police officers in Thane.
Vimla Hiren, wife of Mr Mansukh, had filed a complaint with the police. His body was fished out from a creek in neighbouring Thane district on the morning of March 5, hours after he went "missing".
His car, a Scorpio, with 20 gelatin sticks inside was found near "Antilia", the multi-storey residence of Mukesh Ambani in south Mumbai, on February 25.
The police had said the vehicle was stolen from Airoli-Mulund Bridge on February 18.
The ATS had already taken over the probe into the security scare outside Mr Ambani's residence.
Officials on Saturday said the autopsy report of Hiren reserved the opinion on the cause of his death and added that no visible external injuries were found on his body. The viscera of Hiren was already sent for forensic analysis, they said.
