Gopal Rajwani
Encyclopedia
Gopal Rajwani
was a criminal-politician with the Shiv Sena
party, from Ulhasnagar
, Maharashtra
(a suburb of Mumbai
). Formerly associated with the ganglord Dawood Ibrahim
, he joined the Shiv Sena
in 1996. He was killed as he was appearing in a court case at Ulhasnagar in January 2000.
s in Ulhasnagar. At one point, he met gangster Govind Vachani and rose rapidly in the crime world. He later joined the criminal-politician Pappu Kalani
and was arrested in 1982-83 for
the murder of the editor A V Narayan of Blitz magazine.
The case could not be sustained, however; no witnesses would come forward to testify and he was acquitted.
In 1985, he fell out with Kalani over division of extortion money. Meanwhile, Pappu Kalani had become politically powerful with the Indian National Congress
party - he was to be elected from Ulhasnagar the following
year.
That April, Rajwani was arrested in an extortion case, apparently at Kalani's bidding. As Rajwani was being escorted to the Vithalwadi
police station in a rickshaw, Kalani arranged for his men to attack him with bombs and guns. Rajwani survived the attack, but was seriously injured and was admitted to the JJ Hospital. Here, he met Haji Mastan
, a notorious smuggler and senior don of that time. Haji Mastan took Rajwani under his wings and arranged for him to go to Dubai
.
In Dubai, he met Dawood Ibrahim
and began helping him buy real estate in Mumbai. Among the properties he negotiated was a flat in Lokhandwala Complex
, which was to be the scene of a famous shootout where the "encounter" specialist (Policeman known for killing off gangsters)
Aftaab Ahmed Khan gunned down six of Dawood's aides including Maya Dolas. Much of the fourteen-hour encounter was televised live and made
Khan a celebrity.
In April 1989, the Kalani family leader, Pappu's uncle Dudhichand Kalani, was murdered, allegedly by Gopal Rajwani's gang, at the
instance of Gop Behrani. This led to reprisal killings - as many as 22 murders in five
months. It was said during this period that
"there would be a killing in Ulhasnagar every Tuesday."
It was during this period that Pappu Kalani emerged as the leader of his own
organized crime gang.
In 1992, Pappu Kalani
was arrested for the murder of Rajwani henchman Maruthi Jadhav (and subsequently charged in seven other murders).
Pappu was in jail for nine years, and in this period,
Rajwani then returned to Ulhasnagar. He joined the Shiv Sena
in
1995, and emerged as a top leader of the party in Ulhasnagar.
On January 24, 2000, around 11 AM, he was getting off from his car to attend
court at the First Class
Magistrate's court in Ulhasnagar, when he was attacked by four gunmen, and
died of injuries in the head, chest, neck and
back.
It is widely believed that Pappu Kalani
,
recently elected MLA
from Ulhasnagar, although in jail at the time, had masterminded his murder.
was a criminal-politician with the Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
party, from Ulhasnagar
Ulhasnagar
Ulhasnagar Ulhasnagar, also referred to as Sindhunagar, has an estimated population of 472,943 people .The name derives from the Ulhas river which flows through it. Kalyan is situated near Ulhasnagar. The city is home to many types of businesses....
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
(a suburb of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
). Formerly associated with the ganglord 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...
, he joined the Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
in 1996. He was killed as he was appearing in a court case at Ulhasnagar in January 2000.
Life
Rajwani began his life selling papadumPapadum
Papadum, also known as papad in Northern India, , pappadam in Malayalam, happala in Kannada, appalam in Tamil, appadum in Telugu, pappadum or poppadom in the UK, is a thin, crisp Indian preparation sometimes described as a cracker. It is typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India...
s in Ulhasnagar. At one point, he met gangster Govind Vachani and rose rapidly in the crime world. He later joined the criminal-politician Pappu Kalani
Pappu Kalani
Pappu Kalani is an Indian criminal-politician from Ulhasnagar . After emerging as the leader of an organized crimesyndicate in the 1980s, he won elections for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in...
and was arrested in 1982-83 for
the murder of the editor A V Narayan of Blitz magazine.
The case could not be sustained, however; no witnesses would come forward to testify and he was acquitted.
In 1985, he fell out with Kalani over division of extortion money. Meanwhile, Pappu Kalani had become politically powerful with the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
party - he was to be elected from Ulhasnagar the following
year.
That April, Rajwani was arrested in an extortion case, apparently at Kalani's bidding. As Rajwani was being escorted to the Vithalwadi
Vithalwadi
Vithalwadi is a stop on the Mumbai Suburban Railway in Thane district. It is on the Karjat route. Kalyan is the previous stop and Ulhasnagar is the next stop....
police station in a rickshaw, Kalani arranged for his men to attack him with bombs and guns. Rajwani survived the attack, but was seriously injured and was admitted to the JJ Hospital. Here, he met Haji Mastan
Haji Mastan
Haji Mastan Mirza, popularly known as Haji Mastan or Bawa, was a Bombay gangster and smuggler in the 1960s and 1970s. Mastan became the first celebrity gangster of the city, expanding his clout in the film industry. As Mastan's influence in Bollywood grew, he began to produce films...
, a notorious smuggler and senior don of that time. Haji Mastan took Rajwani under his wings and arranged for him to go 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...
.
In Dubai, he met 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...
and began helping him buy real estate in Mumbai. Among the properties he negotiated was a flat in Lokhandwala Complex
Lokhandwala Complex
Lokhandwala Complex Andheri, also known as Lokhandwala, is a large residential and commercial area in Oshiwara village of Andheri, Mumbai, India. It is approximately 8 km from Andheri station. The name Lokhandwala comes from the name of the developer with the construction firm of Lokhandwala...
, which was to be the scene of a famous shootout where the "encounter" specialist (Policeman known for killing off gangsters)
Aftaab Ahmed Khan gunned down six of Dawood's aides including Maya Dolas. Much of the fourteen-hour encounter was televised live and made
Khan a celebrity.
In April 1989, the Kalani family leader, Pappu's uncle Dudhichand Kalani, was murdered, allegedly by Gopal Rajwani's gang, at the
instance of Gop Behrani. This led to reprisal killings - as many as 22 murders in five
months. It was said during this period that
"there would be a killing in Ulhasnagar every Tuesday."
It was during this period that Pappu Kalani emerged as the leader of his own
organized crime gang.
In 1992, Pappu Kalani
Pappu Kalani
Pappu Kalani is an Indian criminal-politician from Ulhasnagar . After emerging as the leader of an organized crimesyndicate in the 1980s, he won elections for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in...
was arrested for the murder of Rajwani henchman Maruthi Jadhav (and subsequently charged in seven other murders).
Pappu was in jail for nine years, and in this period,
Rajwani then returned to Ulhasnagar. He joined the Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
in
1995, and emerged as a top leader of the party in Ulhasnagar.
On January 24, 2000, around 11 AM, he was getting off from his car to attend
court at the First Class
Magistrate's court in Ulhasnagar, when he was attacked by four gunmen, and
died of injuries in the head, chest, neck and
back.
It is widely believed that Pappu Kalani
Pappu Kalani
Pappu Kalani is an Indian criminal-politician from Ulhasnagar . After emerging as the leader of an organized crimesyndicate in the 1980s, he won elections for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in...
,
recently elected MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
from Ulhasnagar, although in jail at the time, had masterminded his murder.