On February 26, a car laden with explosives was discovered in close proximity of Antilia, the residence of Mukesh Ambani and his family. As per the police, it was a well-planned act and committed by seasoned criminals. At the spot, the police had also found several number plates from inside the vehicle, some of them matched the number plates of vehicles used by the Ambani family’s security team.
Later, Islamic terror outfit Jaish-ul-Hind took responsibility for placing bombs outside Ambani’s residence. However, the case took a shocking turn when the owner of the vehicle, Mansukh Hiren, was found dead in mysterious circumstances. As per the initial reports, he allegedly committed suicide by jumping into Kalwa Creek. However, later it came to light that his mouth was tied with handkerchiefs.
It has to be noted that this is not the first time Ambanis have been targeted, and the person who could have helped in solving that case was found dead under mysterious circumstances as well.
Anil Ambani’s helicopter was sabotaged
Twelve years ago, on April 23, 2009, during the inspection of the helicopter that belonged to Anil Ambani, technicians Bharat Borge and Ramshankar Chauhan found the filler cup of the gearbox fitted on the reverse side, and the fuel tank was open. When the fuel tank was further checked, they found pebbles and sand inside. On April 28, 2009, Government Railway Police Commissioner A K Sharma made a statement in which he confirmed that one of the technicians, Bharat Borge, was found dead by the police, and a letter was found on him.
On April 24, 2009, Anil Ambani Group had alleged that its business rivals might be behind an “attempt to murder” the industrialist by trying to sabotage his helicopter. However, when the reports came out about Borge’s death, the group decided to keep mum. It was believed that the pebbles were put in the helicopter after the April 22 ride that Anil Ambani took with nine of his company employees.
Airworks India, where the helicopter was parked, confirmed the death of its employee Borge and said that the demise was unfortunate and tragic. As per reports, Borge’s body was found on the railway tracks between Vile Parle and Andheri Suburban stations. It was suspected that he was run over by a Churchgate-bound fast local train near Vile Parle.
The Mumbai Police, after consulting with the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and aviation experts, said that in case the helicopter had taken off, the pebbles would have damaged one of the two engines, and the pilot would have had to opt for an emergency landing.
Two helpers Uday Wanekar and Palraj Thewar, were arrested by the police in the case and were booked under the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act and under various sections of IPC. However, the court had acquitted them in November 2010 due to a lack of evidence.