A special court in Mumbai on Thursday found gangster Chhota Rajan guilty in the 2001 murder case of hotelier Jaya Shetty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Special Judge AM Patil, who presides over cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA), convicted Rajan under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for murder.
The court determined that Rajan, along with four others, had plotted to murder Jaya Shetty, who owned four restaurants in the city, including the Golden Crown in Grant Road. Previously, the special court had convicted three of Rajan’s accomplices — Ajay Mohite, Pramod Dhonde, and Rahul Pansare.
A special court in Mumbai sentenced life imprisonment to underworld don Chhota Rajan in the 2001 Mumbai businessman Jaya Shetty murder case. In 2001, Jaya Shetty was shot at by Chhota Rajan’s henchmen on Grant Road in Mumbai
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2024
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Who is Jaya Shetty?
Jaya Shetty, the owner of the Golden Crown Hotel in Gamdevi, central Mumbai, was tragically murdered on May 4, 2001. He had been receiving extortion threats from the Chhota Rajan gang. The fatal incident occurred when two alleged gang members shot him on the hotel’s first floor.
After reporting the extortion threats, Shetty was given police protection. However, he requested the withdrawal of his security detail two months before the attack.
It is important to note that Chhota Rajan is currently in detention. He was first arrested at Bali airport and extradited to India in 2015. He is presently held in Tihar’s Jail no. 2, which is known to be a high-security cell.
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Born Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje, Chhota Rajan’s journey from the streets of Mumbai to the world of organized crime is one of intrigue and infamy. Initially involved in petty crimes like selling black market movie tickets, Rajan first entered the organized crime scene by joining the gang led by the notorious ‘Bada Rajan,’ also known as Rajan Nair. After Nair’s demise, Chhota Rajan took over the leadership of the gang.
Once considered a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Rajan broke ties with Dawood after the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. This rift led to continuous violent clashes between their factions, resulting in bloodshed across Mumbai, Dubai, and Nepal.
After evading law enforcement for years, Chhota Rajan was finally arrested in 2015. His arrest came after a seemingly innocuous WhatsApp call inadvertently disclosed his location. His extradition to India marked a significant victory for law enforcement agencies.
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