Former Joint commissioner of police (crime) Santosh Rastogi opposed the appointment of assistant inspector Sachin Waze at Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) but was overruled by an oral instruction from the then police commissioner Param Bir Singh, according to an internal police report on the Waze fiasco.
The internal report, commissioned by Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale in response to queries from the government, was submitted to the home department early last week, said a senior IPS officer on condition of anonymity.
The home department sought answers to a list of queries and, within two days, the response was submitted to its office in Mantralaya, the officer said.
The report stated that during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, three review meetings took place in which 57 police officials were reinstated. The decision of Waze’s reinstatement was taken at a review meeting at the police commissioner’s level. Waze was posted at the armed police forces on June 8, 2020, and subsequently at CIU.
“As per information given on telephone, the then joint commissioner of police (crime) strongly opposed for posting of Sachin Waze (in CIU). But at the insistence of the then commissioner of police, Mumbai, the then joint commissioner (crime) unwillingly issued the office order for the posting of Sachin Waze in CIU,” read the report. It further added that the police commissioner, on May 25, 2020, issued an order to joint commissioner of police (crime) that posting/transfer of senior police inspectors/incharge of all units of crime branch, Mumbai, will be done with prior approval of the commissioner of police.
Accordingly, the post of CIU incharge, who is usually of the rank of inspector, was given to Waze on the oral order of the commissioner of police.
“The then joint commissioner of police (crime) had posted Sachin Waze as incharge CIU, unwillingly, as per the orders of the then commissioner of police, Mumbai,” states the report submitted to the home minister.
The report further states that in the Mumbai crime branch, a unit incharge and an investigating officer in any case is bound to report to the assistant commissioner of police, deputy commissioner of police, additional commissioner of police and the joint commissioner of police (crime), but Waze did not follow rules and directly reported to the commissioner of police and functioned directly under his guidance.
“Sachin Waze never used to report to senior officers of the crime branch. Occasionally, he used to discuss, informally about the crime (with his immediate senior police officers). As well Sachin Waze had strictly prohibited his colleagues of CIU from reporting to senior officers from crime branch. He directly reported to the then commissioner of police about important decisions,” according to the report.
Also, Waze would accompany the commissioner of police during briefings to ministers on the TRP case, Dilip Chabriya case, and also in the Antilia terror scare case. He would convey any instruction given at these briefings to crime branch officials.
The report states that no crime branch officer gave any review/opinion/direction in any investigation handled by Sachin Waze because he directly reported on these cases to the commissioner of police.
The report also added that despite the allotment of three vehicles (Innova, Tata Sumo and Scorpio) to CIU, Waze, an incharge of that unit, was using high-end luxurious cars like Mercedes Benz and Audi.
