Chhota Rajan
Encyclopedia
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan (Translation: Little Rajan) is the boss of a major crime syndicate based in India. He is a former key aide and lieutenant
of Dawood Ibrahim
. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair
, also known as Bada Rajan (Big Rajan). Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's gang after Bada Rajan's murder. Later, he was affiliated with and operated at the behest of Dawood in Mumbai and eventually fled India to Dubai in 1988. He is wanted for many criminal cases that include extortion
, murder
, smuggling
, drug trafficking and film finance. His brother is said to produce films financed by Rajan. He is also wanted in 17 murder cases and several more attempted murders.
He parted ways with Dawood Ibrahim
after the latter's involvement in the 1993 terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Mumbai. Chhota Rajan and Dawood Ibrahim are now considered be arch-rivals, with a long and bloody feud between their respective crime syndicates.
under whom he learned the tricks of the trade. Once Bada Rajan
was killed, Nikalje received the throne and the title—Chhota Rajan. For a short period, Dawood Ibrahim
, Rajan and Arun Gawli
worked together. Then Gawli’s elder brother Papa Gawli was murdered over a drug deal and a rift formed. Rajan went to Dubai
—his family is still here apart from his wife in 1989 to attend the wedding of Noora, Dawood’s brother. He never returned. With the serial blasts flinging a spanner into the works, Dawood and Rajan fell out. There were even reports that he tipped off the Research and Analysis Wing about Dawood’s network. The Dawood-Rajan party was over, the messy end coming in September 2000, with Shakeel’s attack on Rajan in his Bangkok hotel room.
, blaming him for anti Hindu and anti national acts. It is speculated that religious differences between the two - Rajan is a Hindu Mahar and Dawood, a Muslim
- contributed to the split. The break up between him and Ibrahim supposedly took place after Dawood's involvement in the 1993 bomb blast came into the spotlight and Dawood became the most wanted man in India. After the split, Rajan formed his own gang
. Reports of bloody shootouts between Rajan and Dawood's hoodlums have been common since the split. In 1994, Rajan lured one of Dawood's favorites - the flamboyantly charming, yet dreaded young Pathan "narco-terrorist" Phillu Khan alias Bakhtiyar Ahmed Khan- to a hotel room in Bangkok, where he was tortured to death having being betrayed by his closest aide and sidekick Mangesh "Mangya" Pawar.
Both Phillu and Mangya were involved in the 1993 blasts as Police had filed cases on 15 March 1993 alleging their involvement in the blasts.
, used his links with Mumbai based hotelier Vinod Shetty to track down Rajan in Bangkok, Dawood's aide Chhota Shakeel
then led the hit. Posing as pizza delivery men they gunned down trusted Rajan hitman Rohit Varma and his wife. However their aim of killing Rajan failed, with Rajan making a dare-devil escape through the hotel's roof and fire-escape. He then recovered in the hospital and slipped away to evade capture.
Dawood Ibrahim confirmed the attack on telephone to rediff.com, saying Rajan tried to escape by jumping out of the window of the first-floor room where he was attacked. He, however, broke his back in the fall and was taken to hospital, the don said.
While the killings of Vinod Shetty and Sunil Soans did not significantly disrupt D-Company, on January 19, 2003, Chhota Rajan's associates then gunned down Sharad Shetty - Dawood's chief finance manager and money-laundering agent - at the India Club in Dubai. This brazen killing was an emblematic of the shift of power between Dawood and Rajan. Not only was the execution in a very public setting, it was at a location that Dawood considered his operational backyard. Intelligence reports have suggested that Sharad Shetty's death was a crippling blow to D-Company, since much financial and monetary information of the crime syndicate operations managed by Sharad Shetty was never fully recovered by Dawood.
While the Indian government has no overt links to Rajan, the Intelligence Bureau
, India's internal intelligence agency is suspected of having passed information they collected of Dawood's operations to Chhota Rajan when they've found so to be convenient to weaken Dawood. Chhota Rajan claims himself to be a staunch Indian.
.
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair
Bada Rajan
Rajan Mahadeo Nair , popularly known in the Mumbai underworld by his moniker Bada Rajan was an Indian mobster and underworld don from Mumbai, who operated from his base in the Tilak Nagar neighborhood of Chembur.-Early years:...
, also known as Bada Rajan (Big Rajan). Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's gang after Bada Rajan's murder. Later, he was affiliated with and operated at the behest of Dawood in Mumbai and eventually fled India to Dubai in 1988. He is wanted for many criminal cases that include extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
, drug trafficking and film finance. His brother is said to produce films financed by Rajan. He is also wanted in 17 murder cases and several more attempted murders.
He parted ways with Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
after the latter's involvement in the 1993 terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Mumbai. Chhota Rajan and Dawood Ibrahim are now considered be arch-rivals, with a long and bloody feud between their respective crime syndicates.
Criminal career
Chhota Rajan started his criminal career by peddling cinema tickets in black in the 1980s. Then he met mentor Bada RajanBada Rajan
Rajan Mahadeo Nair , popularly known in the Mumbai underworld by his moniker Bada Rajan was an Indian mobster and underworld don from Mumbai, who operated from his base in the Tilak Nagar neighborhood of Chembur.-Early years:...
under whom he learned the tricks of the trade. Once Bada Rajan
Bada Rajan
Rajan Mahadeo Nair , popularly known in the Mumbai underworld by his moniker Bada Rajan was an Indian mobster and underworld don from Mumbai, who operated from his base in the Tilak Nagar neighborhood of Chembur.-Early years:...
was killed, Nikalje received the throne and the title—Chhota Rajan. For a short period, Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
, Rajan and Arun Gawli
Arun Gawli
Arun Gulab Gawli , known to his followers as "Daddy", is an alleged criminal turned politician from Mumbai, India. He is based at Dagdi Chawl in Byculla- Saat Rasta, Mumbai...
worked together. Then Gawli’s elder brother Papa Gawli was murdered over a drug deal and a rift formed. Rajan went to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
—his family is still here apart from his wife in 1989 to attend the wedding of Noora, Dawood’s brother. He never returned. With the serial blasts flinging a spanner into the works, Dawood and Rajan fell out. There were even reports that he tipped off the Research and Analysis Wing about Dawood’s network. The Dawood-Rajan party was over, the messy end coming in September 2000, with Shakeel’s attack on Rajan in his Bangkok hotel room.
Split with Dawood
Rajan parted ways with Dawood Ibrahim, after the 1993 Mumbai bombings1993 Mumbai bombings
The 1993 Bombay bombings were a series of 13 bomb explosions that took place in Bombay , Maharashtra, India on Friday, 12 March 1993. The coordinated attacks were the most destructive bomb explosions in Indian history...
, blaming him for anti Hindu and anti national acts. It is speculated that religious differences between the two - Rajan is a Hindu Mahar and Dawood, a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
- contributed to the split. The break up between him and Ibrahim supposedly took place after Dawood's involvement in the 1993 bomb blast came into the spotlight and Dawood became the most wanted man in India. After the split, Rajan formed his own gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
. Reports of bloody shootouts between Rajan and Dawood's hoodlums have been common since the split. In 1994, Rajan lured one of Dawood's favorites - the flamboyantly charming, yet dreaded young Pathan "narco-terrorist" Phillu Khan alias Bakhtiyar Ahmed Khan- to a hotel room in Bangkok, where he was tortured to death having being betrayed by his closest aide and sidekick Mangesh "Mangya" Pawar.
Both Phillu and Mangya were involved in the 1993 blasts as Police had filed cases on 15 March 1993 alleging their involvement in the blasts.
Assassination Attempt
In September 2001, Dawood tracked down Rajan in Bangkok. Sharad ShettySharad Shetty
Sharad Shetty was an Indian mobster based in Dubai. He was one of Dawood Ibrahim’s top aides and was known to control most of the cricket betting racket in the Indian sub-continent. He belonged to the powerful Bunt community of South Canara district of Karnataka. Sharad Shetty was shot dead at The...
, used his links with Mumbai based hotelier Vinod Shetty to track down Rajan in Bangkok, Dawood's aide Chhota Shakeel
Chhota Shakeel
Chhota Shakeel , is an Indian, accused of association with Dawood Ibrahim.According to old hats, one of his stories which put him in the spotlight was his encounter with the customs officer...
then led the hit. Posing as pizza delivery men they gunned down trusted Rajan hitman Rohit Varma and his wife. However their aim of killing Rajan failed, with Rajan making a dare-devil escape through the hotel's roof and fire-escape. He then recovered in the hospital and slipped away to evade capture.
Dawood Ibrahim confirmed the attack on telephone to rediff.com, saying Rajan tried to escape by jumping out of the window of the first-floor room where he was attacked. He, however, broke his back in the fall and was taken to hospital, the don said.
Rajan Strikes Back
This failed assassination attempt proved costly for Dawood. Chhota Rajan's associates tracked down and shot dead Vinod Shetty in 2001 in Mumbai, as well as Sunil Soans - another Dawood associate. Both Vinod and Sunil had provided information to Dawood's associates of Rajan's whereabouts.While the killings of Vinod Shetty and Sunil Soans did not significantly disrupt D-Company, on January 19, 2003, Chhota Rajan's associates then gunned down Sharad Shetty - Dawood's chief finance manager and money-laundering agent - at the India Club in Dubai. This brazen killing was an emblematic of the shift of power between Dawood and Rajan. Not only was the execution in a very public setting, it was at a location that Dawood considered his operational backyard. Intelligence reports have suggested that Sharad Shetty's death was a crippling blow to D-Company, since much financial and monetary information of the crime syndicate operations managed by Sharad Shetty was never fully recovered by Dawood.
While the Indian government has no overt links to Rajan, the Intelligence Bureau
Intelligence Bureau (India)
The Intelligence Bureau also known as IB is India's internal intelligence agency and reputedly the world's oldest intelligence agency. It was recast as the Central Intelligence Bureau in 1947 under the Ministry of Home Affairs...
, India's internal intelligence agency is suspected of having passed information they collected of Dawood's operations to Chhota Rajan when they've found so to be convenient to weaken Dawood. Chhota Rajan claims himself to be a staunch Indian.
Health
As of 11th October 2011, Chhota Rajan is admitted to a hospital in Europe after he complains of Abdominal painAbdominal pain
Abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms associated with transient disorders or serious disease. Making a definitive diagnosis of the cause of abdominal pain can be difficult, because many diseases can result in this symptom. Abdominal pain is a common problem...
.