Meet Mumbai Police’s ‘Singham’ who played key role in cracking Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia bomb case, resigns; his future plan is..

MUMBAI: Famous as the real-life Singham, 47-year-old Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Shivdeep Lande resigned from the IPS on Thursday. Lande made headlines when he led the team that solved the 2021 cases related to the Antilia bomb scare. The team also cracked the murder mystery of Thane’s automobile accessories dealer, Mansukh Hiran, in Mumbai, which was also related to the Antilia bomb case. Lande was deputed to his home state of Maharashtra on a five-year inter-state deputation from 2016 to 2021, coming from his cadre state of Bihar. During this period, he served as the Additional Commissioner of Police (Addl CP) of the Anti-Terrorism Squad.

बिहार के सुपर कॉप शिवदीप लांडे ने आईपीएस की नौकरी से दिया इस्तीफा. अभी पूर्णिया के आई जी थे. इस्तीफे के बाद भी बिहार में ही रहेंगे. आगे प्रशांत किशोर के साथ जुड़ने और जनसुराजी बनने की चर्चा शुरू. चुनाव लडे, तो पटना का शहरी क्षेत्र तय मानिए. pic.twitter.com/pz8gR7fRyl
— Gyaneshwar (@Gyaneshwar_Jour) September 19, 2024

Recently, the IPS officer from the 2006 batch has been handed over the reins as the Inspector General (IG) for Purnea range. Before this assignment, he was executing his services in the Tirhut range, stationed in Muzaffarpur.
Known as the honest policeman, he is the second officer to resign from IPS in the past two months. Lande was born in Akola, Maharashtra and earned his degree in electrical engineer before joining the IPS.
The Antilia Bomb Scare Case
On a seemingly ordinary morning of February 25th, 2021, an unexpected situation unraveled not too far from Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s abode, Carmichael Road, well-known as Antilia. Merely 600 meters away from his residence, an unattended Scorpio vehicle, misparked, begged for attention. Upon investigation, it was nothing less than alarming. It was brimming with explosive materials – twenty packets of industrial-grade gelatin. Adding to the dread was a warning letter aimed at the Ambani family and a flag of the beloved IPL team, Mumbai Indians, found within the SUV.
Shivdeep Lande’s Role In The Case
The Crime Branch was tasked with delving into the case, but a surprising twist resulted in ATS leader Lande’s team finding the perceived SUV owner, Mansukh Hiran, in Thane. The story took an intriguing turn when the ATS team couldn’t spot the SUV for a search. Therefore, they sought information from assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, formerly with the CIU. He let them know the vehicle was stationed at South Mumbai’s Yellow Gate police station.
The Special Task Force (ATS) team swiftly made their way to the police station, where they meticulously examined an SUV. Despite the fact that the vehicle’s identification number was carefully manipulated, thus rendering it useless, Lande’s crew discovered a valuable lead. A sticker, innocently placed on a window, revealed the details of a financiers’ agency. Upon contacting this agency, it was unveiled that the ownership of this vehicle was akin to a game of hot potato, frequently changing hands. The last registered owner? A man named Hiran. The diligent ATS team managed to track down Hiran and by 11 PM on the eventful day of February 25th, 2021, had his statement on record. However, their investigation hit a roadblock. The state gave them the signal to pause as the case was now a matter for the Crime Branch to handle, not the ATS.
Hiran told the ATS team that his vehicle was stolen the month before and he had filed a missing complaint at the Vikhroli police in February. He told that his vehicle he parked the vehicle on the Airoli-Mulund Bridge due to technical issue, from where it was stolen.
A week later, in March, 2021, Hiran’ body was found from the Mumbra creek in Thane.
Lande, known for his eagle-eyed investigation techniques, ordered his team to collect comprehensive CCTV recordings from the area surrounding the police headquarters in South Mumbai at Crawford Market all the way to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and even the paths leading to Thane. This compilation of surveillance videos became a rich source of leads, pointing towards a gang suspected of kidnapping and brutally killing Hiren.
The reins of both cases were eventually taken over by the NIA from the ATS. They grilled Waze for a drastic 10-hour long session at their South Mumbai office on March 13, 2021, before deciding to put him behind bars.
Shivdeep Lande’s Future Plan
Responding to a question about his resignation, Lande, now IGP Purnia range told HT that he had resigned due to “personal reasons”. “The resignation is yet to be accepted by the government and once it is accepted, I will consider my future course of action while staying in Bihar,” HT quoted Lande as saying.
As per sources close to the IPS officer, he could make a foray into “public service” field. Notably, the government has not accepted his resignation and will take a call within the next three months.