The Maharashtra government has started preparations for keeping fugitive underworld don Chhota Rajan safe and secure. He will be kept at the Arthur Road jail, but in a high security area.
The Maharashtra government has started preparations for keeping fugitive underworld don Chhota Rajan safe and secure. He will be kept at the Arthur Road jail, but in a high security area. That gangster, who was arrested in Bali, Indonesia, is likely to be deported back to the country on Wednesday as the local airport was shut down due to the eruption of volcanic ash in the atmosphere. Rajan was supposed to be deported on Tuesday night.
According to highly placed sources, Rajan will be kept at Arthur Road jail where Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab was lodged. However, taking extra precautions, he will not be kept in the Anda cell, highest security area of the prison, like Kasab. Instead, a high security area will be made at the ground floor of the prison to keep the don until cases against him are not disposed of.
“Despite being the highest security area of the jail, Rajan cannot be kept at the Anda cell for obvious reasons. Most of the dreaded criminals from Mumbai are kept in the Anda cell and many of them belong to the Dawood gang, India’s most wanted underworld don,” sources said.
“It is an open secret that Dawood and Rajan are enemies and gangsters from the ‘D’ gang could go to any extent to eliminate Rajan and the government does not want to take any chances,” added the sources.
After much deliberation on the issue, the state government has decided to keep Rajan at Arthur Road jail in a special high security area. “Only the ground floor of 12-B block of the jail will be used to create the high security area for Rajan’s safe accommodation. The area will also be under possession of the Mumbai police, instead of the jail security. He (Rajan) will be kept there until all the cases against him are disposed of,” sources revealed. The Mumbai police will have to pay annual rent of Rs 1 for occupying the space. Once the cases are disposed, the space would be surrendered back to the Arthur Road jail administration.
Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay, additional DG (prisons) confirmed this with The Asian Age. “Yes, special arrangements are being made for the safe lodging of Chhota Rajan. He will be kept at 12-B block of the jail premises,” Mr Upadhyay said.
However, Mumbai police commissioner Ahmed Javed said that they haven’t received any official information from the CBI over Rajan’s deportation. “A team of Mumbai crime branch is already in Bali to complete all the paper work for the deportation of Rajan, but the Mumbai police is yet to receive the official information by the CBI, the nodal agency for extradition and deportation of criminals about when gangster Chhota Rajan will be brought back to the country or in the city,” Mr Javed said.
Mr Javed said that the CBI was looking after the matter and once they are done with the process, they would hand Rajan over to the Mumbai police. When asked about the safety and security arrangements for Rajan and where he would be kept, Mr Javed replied, “We have examined two to three places in the city to keep the don safe while in custody.”
During the briefing, when the police commissioner was questioned about the allegations made by Rajan that a section of the Mumbai police had been supporting his rival and don Dawood Ibrahim, Mr Javed said, “I don’t think that I should comment on such allegations made by a gangster.”
A source from Mumbai crime Branch while speaking to The Asian Age said, “In the city there are almost 75 cases are registered against Chhota Rajan, of which almost nine are Mcoca cases. But, the Delhi police is also investigating seven cases against him, including the high-profile CR park businessman extortion case in 2011 and other six FIRs filed in 1999 and 2002.”
A police senior official said, “The Delhi police special cell played a key role and intercepted calls too, so chances are he will be handed over to the Delhi police first.” But, according to senior officials of the Mumbai police the CBI will take the final decision.
