New Delhi: Underworld don Chhota Rajan's CBI custody, which was to end on Monday, has been extended by three days in a case of alleged procurement of a passport on the basis of fake documents from Indian mission in Zimbabwe. The CBI announced during a daily briefing that the custody of Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, has been extended till November 19, without revealing the details about the court proceedings and whether he was produced before a CBI magistrate.
After being brought to India from Bali earlier in November, 55-year-old Rajan, who has provided tip-offs to Indian intelligence agencies on India's most wanted terrorists Dawood Ibrahim, has been secretly guarded by central security agencies. Before his deportation process was to complete, the CBI was directed to register a case against him. The agency booked him for alleged cheating, forgery, and violations of the Passport Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
This is the second case of fake passport against him with the first one having been registered in 2002 for another passport, issued in 1996, with fake identity of Vijay Kadam, in Bangkok. "It has been alleged that said fugitive Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan got prepared an Indian Passport No G9273860 in the fake name of Mohan Kumar, allegedly residing at 107/B, Old M C Road, Azad Nagar, Mandya (Karnataka)," a CBI spokesperson had said after his deportation process was completed.
Rajan allegedly used the passport to escape to Australia in 2003. He had been residing in Australia since then till October 25 when reached Bali, where he was placed under arrest on the basis of Interpol Red Corner notice.
Ahead of his arrival here, the Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra had to eat a humble pie by transferring all the 70 cases registered against Rajan to the CBI, ostensibly under pressure from the Centre as the underworld don had expressed desire that he should not be handed over to Mumbai Police. Rajan, once a close aide of Dawood, has been brought to the country to face trial in over 70 cases of murder, extortion and drug smuggling in Delhi and Mumbai.
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