Let it be plot or favoured by BJP whatsoever, but the fact is that one of the dreaded gangster is coming back in India and will spend his time in jail. He is scheduled to be extradited to India today or tomorrow from Indonesia. Ahead of his deportation, the underworld don’s ‘right-hand man’ Nilesh Dinkar Paradkar alias Shatlya was arrested by Mumbai police. Paradkar and another gangster Raghu Shetty, both associated with Rajan, had allegedly demanded Rs. 15 crore from a Bhandup-based Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) developer. In this connection, the Bhandup police arrested Shatlya. Both Shetty and Shatlya are wanted in connection with many extortion cases.
Flights were cancelled to and from Denpasar airport due to volcanic eruption at Mount Rinjani. An Indian team, which has been working with its Indonesian counterparts to take over Rajan’s custody, finalised everything covering the way for the gangster’s return to India. The decision comes after Denspar Immigration Chief along with the Jakarta Interpol questioned Rajan at the Bali Police Headquarters and a clearance for his deportation was issued. Devendra Fadnavis also gave statement to media that the mafia don will be brought to Mumbai. The CM further assured that security has been beefed up for Rajan’s arrival and he is likely to be kept in Anda Cell of Arthur road prison. Maharashtra is always over burdened with the heavy amount of expenses to secure the criminals and gangsters, from Abu Salem to Ajmal Kasab and now Chhota Rajan. Hundreds of crores are spend on them to protect them whereas farmers are committing suicide. State has many crucial issues to be addressed. Government seeks donations to do relief work but manages to spend on these gangsters. Irony is that BJP is taking extra care of this gangster who is called as ‘Hindu terrorist’ by so called media because he split from Dawood gang after the 1993 serial bomb blast.
Rajan had alleged that “some members” in the Mumbai Police have links with wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. This is world known fact that each gangster let it be Rajan, Dawood or Gawli had their uniformed shooters in department and khadi ‘goons’ to protect them. Many times, nexus between the men in khaki and the Mumbai underworld had surfaced. However, Chhota Rajan’s allegation on police officers as he is Dawood’s counterpart is purely based on his insecurity and fear. From the late 90s, the methods adopted by ‘encounter specialists’ of the Mumbai police to eliminate gangsters is under scrutiny. These men were accused of carrying out fake encounters as agents of the underworld. Just three men, Pradeep Sharma, Daya Naik and Ravindra Angre have eliminated more than 240 encounters. Pradeep Sharma has a staggering total of a 104 encounters to his “credit”.
Daya Nayak, with 85 encounters under his belt, was arrested for underworld links and owning disproportionate assets. He was reinstated in 2010. Ravindra Angre, responsible for 52 encounters, was arrested for assaulting and trying to extort money from a local builder and has been granted bail.
Rajan is a close confidante-turned-rival of Dawood, the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. He is one of the cruelest and insensitive criminal, I just don’t feel like believing the reports that the Chhota Rajan is fearing for his life and that is why he is eager to surrender. How a don who ordered killings of hundreds of people at his will and became the king of criminal’s empire is suddenly scared of death? If he had lived like a don then he should prefer and prepare himself to die like a don.
Rajan says all cases against him are false, but he is wanted in over 75 heinous crimes ranging from murder, extortion to smuggling and drug trafficking.
Rajan’s main areas of operation, according to information from intelligence reports and his arrested aides are printing counterfeit currency and drug trade. The Interpol listed him as a wanted man in 1995 for carrying out 17 murders. Rajan was believed to be operating in south East Asian countries and also believed to be passing information about Dawood’s involvement in the 1993 blasts to Indian intelligence agencies. Irony is that, world’s top intelligence, Interpol and Rajan’s information could not nab Dawood yet. Even, Osama Bin Laden was killed but Dawood was never ever caught or traced.
Government agencies might be taking all the credit for capturing Chhota Rajan, but if sources in Mumbai Police are to be believed, the infamous gangster was the architect of his own arrest. After more than two decades on the run from the authorities and his arch rival and former crime boss, Dawood Ibrahim, advancing age and the need to constantly look over his shoulder got to Rajan (55), and he decided to turn himself in.
At 55, age had started to catch up with the gangster, who is suffering from kidney-related issues, as well as problems with the bullet injury, he had received in an attack in 2000. The bigger problem though, was paranoia. Rajan’s aides Santosh Shetty, Anil Chandra and Bunty Pandey were all deported from various foreign countries. Rajan was a very vulnerable target living all alone. Dawood’s aide, Chhota Shakeel, even tried to kill him in Australia in July, but the Indian intelligence agencies intimated him about the attack after they learnt of it by tapping Shakeel’s phone. Let’s see, how the master mind gangster rides Indian media/ politics once he arrives here.
