Mumbai, Mar 03: Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze was today arrested in connection with the alleged escape of Ghatkopar bomb blast accused Sayyad Khwaja Yunus from police custody near Ahmednagar on January seven last year. Mr Vaze, who was in the crack team of senior inspector Pradeep Sharma after two bomb blasts in Mumbai in 2002, was picked up by the CID sleuths from his residence in neighbouring thane this morning and was taken to Ahmednagar to be produced in a court there.
According to the police, Yunus, one of the accused in the blast in a best (Bombay electricity supply transport) bus on December two, 2002, had allegedly escaped after the police vehicle in which he was being taken from Mumbai to Aurangabad had met with an accident near Ahmednagar in western Maharashtra.
Mr Vaze, who was escorting Yunus along with three constables, was suspended for the lapse on the part of the police party. However, after an investigation, he was reinstated and moved to the crime branch unit at Kandivli in north-west Mumbai.


However, today's action was imminent in view of the fact on February 25, the Bombay High Court had expressed displeasure over the probe in the alleged escape of yunus being conducted by the state CID. It had asked the investigating agency to submit a detailed report by today, failing which the court would consider handing over the probe to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The court's ruling was in response to a habeas corpus petition filed by Yunus' father alleging that his son might have died in the police custody due to torture. His fear was based on a statement made by a jail inmate that Yunus was tortured by the police.


The court had also directed the Maharashtra government to pay Rs 5,000 per month as compensation to Yunus' father till the former was found dead or alive. The state government had, however, challenged the order.

Mr Vaze, a prominent crime branch officer, was part of a crack team that had killed three Laskar-e-Toiba terrorists on March 29, 2003. Bureau Report