Chhota Rajan was today convicted by the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in Mumbai and eight others in the case of the murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey who was shot dead in Powai, Mumbai on June 11, 2011. Chhota Rajan was angry with Dey’s writeups targeting Rajan and his gang, and he believed that Dey was being paid by his friend-turned -foe Dawood Ibrahim to spread negativity about Rajan’s gang. Chhota Rajan had worked with Dawood previously but both parted ways after the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. The hostility between the two gang lords resulted in loss of many lives on both sides. Many aides of Dawood had been secretly taken out by Chhota Rajan, while Dawood’s gang had attacked Chotta Rajan and his aides on numerous occasions.
Born Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje in Beed, Maharashtra, Chottarajan had started his criminal career working as a petty black marketeer. He took over the Bada Rajan gang after the death of his boss and started working for Dawood Ibrahim in Mumbai. Dawood, who had later fled to Dubai used Chotta Rajan and his gang members to carry out his nefarious activities in Mumbai. The split between Dawood and his right-hand man Chhota Rajan happened in 1993 following the Mumbai bomb blasts. There were reports that Dawood’s network was targeted by Chhota Rajan. Chhota Rajan had tipped the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) countless times about the location of Dawood’s gang members and their sources of income. This enmity between the two peaked when Chhota Rajan was attacked by a Dawood gang member named Shakeel in a hotel room in Bangkok. Chhota Rajan survived the attack on his life, and thereafter began a series of targeted hit jobs carried out on prominent Dawood gang members in Mumbai. He effectively targeted and crippled the financial and monetary network of Dawood in Mumbai.
Ever since the PM Modi government came to power in the Centre, it has maintained a clampdown on the Dawood company activities. The capture of Chhota Rajan was a big step on the road to shutting the prominent gangster underworld of Mumbai. PM Modi entrusted Ajit Doval and VK Singh for this very important task. VK Singh and Ajit Doval succeeded in convincing Chhota Rajan to surrender himself. Both VK Singh and AjitDoval knew that he alone could provide vital information related to Dawood and company. National Security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval initiated the talks with Chhota Rajan and assured him of his safety once he was in the hands of the Indian authorities. VK Singh planned and saw through the capture and deportation of Chhota Rajan from Bali, Indonesia to India.
Chhota Rajan was finally caught in October 2015 by the Indonesian authorities at the Bali Airport. Interpol Australia had warned the Indonesian authorities of a gangster travelling en-route to Bali. Ajit Doval and VK Singh played a significant role in the capture of the dreaded gangster from Bali Airport. Ajit Doval acted as an intermediary between the Australian and Indonesian authorities to capture Chhota Rajan. VK Singh had flown in to Indonesia a couple of days before the arrest took place in order to smoothen out the capture and subsequent transfer process of the gangster. The numerous cases pending against him in India could be reopened only after his deportation was complete.
There are numerous cases related to smuggling, murder, attempted murder and so on which are still ongoing against Chhota Rajan. He will be tried and punished according to the Indian law. His capture and the information revealed by him regarding the functioning of the underworld in India have helped curb the growth and existence of similar gangs, and it will continue to help the government in the coming future. Today, as Rajan and the fellow accused are convicted, we should remember and praise the efforts of people like Ajit Doval, VK Singh and countless others who helped in bringing a criminal to the doors of justice.