LT EXCLUSIVE ￭ A star witness against Dawood Ibrahim too LT EXCLUSIVE harish gupta new delhi, oct. 4

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

￭ A star witness against Dawood Ibrahim too

LT EXCLUSIVE Harish Gupta New Delhi, Nov. 4

"The State does nothing without a reason," this is how a top government official connected with the security and intelligence agencies" apparatus summed up the reason behind the speed with which underworld don Chhota Rajan was allowed to flee Australia and nabbed in Indonesia and being deported now to India.

It is too well known for several years that Chhota Rajan is under extreme threat from rival Chhota Shakeel, the henchman of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and finding it difficult to withstand the threat to his life. Rajan was unable to help the Indian agencies for against the operations of Dawood gang either. It is no secret that he has been suffering from serious kidney ailment and requires regular dialysis. It was also known to the agencies that he had been holding an Indian passport in the name of Mohan Kumar and living in Australia. So, why shall he be brought to India and the government spend hundreds of crores of rupees on giving him "super Z plus" category security and his upkeep.

Highly placed official involved in the operation of Chhota Rajan told Lokmat on the condition of anonymity that Chhota Rajan will be a star witness as and when Dawood Ibrahim is brought to India and put on trial. If there are 75 criminal cases against Chhota Rajan, the list of criminal cases against Dawood runs into hundreds. But there are no credible witnesses available either with the Mumbai Police or the CBI which can take him to the gallows.

It is a part of this strategy that not only Chhota Rajan but other key members of his gang are also being arrested and they will be put together in the Arthur Road Jail itself to provide immediate and proximate security cover to Chhota Rajan and also depose against Dawood.

Therefore, in a well-crafted strategy, the Government of India is putting together all the missing links before starting "Operation Dawood".

The Modi government doesn't want Dawood to be treated the way Abu Salem is forced to be treated. He can't be hanged and there are hardly any witnesses coming forward. The criminal justice system is finding it difficult to keep him behind bars indefinitely. 

The Modi government would like Dawood not only be brought to India but to take the trial to its logical conclusions.

The Modi government has mounted tremendous global pressure to get Dawood back and even the US has promised India to provide all assistance in this regard. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been personally taking up the Dawood issue with heads of various countries in this regard. National security adviser Ajit Doval's mission is to get him alive in India.

Sensing trouble ahead, the mafia don Dawood has stopped travelling out of Pakistan for the past several months. Dawood also appeared resigned to staying holed up in his heavily guarded house at Clifton Park in Karachi after his close shave a few years ago.

Dawood had been travelling to Central Asian Republics, certain European nations and the United Kingdom on various fake passports, say these sources and his empire runs into hundreds of crores. He has reportedly invested his wealth in real estate in India, Pakistan and Dubai, owns cotton mills in Pakistan, invested in stock markets in Karachi and Mumbai using subsidiary firms, oil wells in West Asia and Central Asian Republics and even in production of tobacco and tobacco-related products which are sold in Russia, say some published reports.

Chhota Rajan runs out of luck, finally

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

￭ Arrested in Indonesia following Australian police tip-off

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, 27 Oct : With the arrest of Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan, in Bali (Indonesia) late last night, his honeymoon with the Indian intelligence agencies seems to have finally ended.

In all likelihood, he will be deported soon from Indonesia though India had signed an extradition treaty in 2011 itself and both countries have friendly relations. A team of the CBI may also be dispatched to Bali to ascertain his identity. CBI Director Anil Sinha told reporters on the sidelines of the ITBP annual Raising Day function that one Mohan Kumar (alias Chhota Rajan) had been arrested in Bali at the agency's request. "The CBI had been tracking him across the globe for years and Red Corner Notice had been sent to Australia as Chhota Rajan had been hiding there lately," he said. The Australian Police alerted Indonesia as soon as it noticed "Mohan Kumar traveling to Bali and he was detained there. His identify will be confirmed", he disclosed.

A beaming Union home minister Rajnath Singh held a special press briefing to express satisfaction over the arrest. When asked when will Dawood Ibrahim be arrested, Rajnath Singh smiled and said, " Aap Sab Dekhte Jayeeye, aage aage kya hota hai." (You wait and see what follows next). Highly placed sources in the intelligence agencies say that Chhota Rajan's utility in catching Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel and their aides has diminished over the years. Though he had been instrumental in some of the operations to catch the underworld don in the past, he had been unable to lend his helping hand to the agencies for several years. No doubt, he was part of a top secret operation in 2005 with the help of gangster Vicky Malhotra and former IB chief Ajit Doval who is currently the National Security Adviser in the Modi government. But the operation failed due to sabotaging by the Mumbai Police which arrested Vicky Malhotra in Delhi who was sitting with Ajit Doval and planning to arrest Dawood whose daughter's marriage was being planned to be held with Javed Miandad's son. Later it was found out that an encounter specialist of Mumbai Police was behind this sabotage.

Later Chhota Rajan's name surfaced in the murder of a Mumbai journalist J Dey a couple of years ago whom he suspected to be leaking information to the Dawood & company. Chhota Rajan who was part of Dawood Ibrahim's gang until 1993 and had fallen out later. But for the past few years he had been running for a cover to save his own life and his gang had weakened considerably unable to help the agencies. Therefore, the agencies must have reached a conclusion that he be brought to correct the perspective that the government was using a junior gangster to catch the Don.

Therefore, the arrest of Chhota Rajan has to be seen in this perspective.

Chhota Rajan's arrest is a clear signal of toughening of stance of the Modi government which seems to have decided to bring such criminals to justice. The statement made by the spokesperson for Australian Federal Police lifts the veil of mystery behind the arrest when he said, "The Interpol in Canberra had alerted Indonesian authorities "who apprehended Nikalje at the request of Indian authorities".

The Australian police further confirmed that Nikalje was living in Australia under another identity and it had been in discussions with Indian authorities on the issue. He refused to provide further details. It's a clear sign that Chhota Rajan's movements were known to the Indian agencies and arrest is no surprise either. Perhaps, he has been brought to safety. But with 15-20 murders in his name, he is unlikely to come of jail for the rest of his life.