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Chhota Rajan Wanted To Escape To Zimbabwe, Says Bali Police

'There Is A Threat To My Life In India', Chhota Rajan Has Told Bali Police

Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, who ruled the Mumbai underworld under the alias Chhota Rajan has told the Bali police that his life will be in danger in India and asked them to allow him to leave for Zimbabwe. Rajan was apprehended by the Bali police on Sunday after the CBI tipped off the Australian police, which in turn informed its Indonesian counterpart.

Dressed in an orange shirt and dark shorts, a handcuffed Rajan was bombarded with questions from the Indian media gathered in Bali as he was led away by the police in Denpasar.

"I am not afraid of anyone," was the 55-year-old gangster's staccato response when asked if he feared retribution from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's men in India.

Police Commissioner Reinhard Nainggolan told NDTV that Rajan wanted to escape to Zimbabwe.

"He asked us to release him as he wanted to go to Zimbabwe. He said that he lived in Australia and before that in Zimbabwe and wanted to go there. He was looking to escape," NDTV quoted the officer as saying.

"When we took him for interrogation, initially, he refused to accept that he was Chhota Rajan. He kept on flashing his passport which mentioned his name as Mohan Kumar. But, later confessed that he indeed is Chhota Rajan," Nainggolan told India Today.

One of India's most dreaded gangsters, Rajan was on the run from law enforcement agencies for over two decades. A notice on the CBI website said the crime lord has charges of attempt to murder, murder and possession and use of illegal firearms against him.

A former Mumbai Police Commissioner, credited with curbing the underworld activities during his stint in Crime Branch in Mumbai, told PTI that he saw no hurdles in bringing the gangster to India and put to trial in the city.

"With my experience, I can say Mumbai Police is a thoroughly professional force and well- equipped to get this man convicted in all the cases," said D Sivanandan, the former Maharashtra DGP.

Rajan was a trusted aide of terrorist and crime boss Dawood. Security agencies are likely to send a team of officials in the next two days to bring him back, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, Rajan is believed to be living in Sydney on genuine documents issued to him there but with fake details such as name, age, address. Rajan was travelling with the identity of Mohan Kumar with passport number G9273860 when he was apprehended at the Bali airport, after arriving there on a Garuda Indonesia flight GA715.

Rajan was in touch with various police officials for last six months seeking a passage to return to India as he feared for his life in Australia from Chhota Shakeel, a henchman of Dawood.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.