‘Not afraid of anyone,’ says Chhota Rajan on Dawood Ibrahim

Bali: Underworld kingpin Chhota Rajan’s arrest sparked reports that growing insecurities led the most-wanted gangster to orchestrate his own arrest, but on Wednesday, he said, “I am not afraid of anyone” to a reporter’s question on his former mentor and don Dawood Ibrahim.

Rajan made the statement while the police was leading him away in Denpasar, Bali, where he was arrested on Sunday, ending a two-decade long chase to nab him. He was dressed in an orange prison shirt and black shorts, with handcuffs binding his hands when cops escorted him away from media scrutiny.

Earlier reports had suggested that old age, paranoia and insecurity led the ageing don to chart his own arrest. Mumbai Police sources said that he himself surrendered to the law in Indonesia because Dawood’s man Chhota Shakeel had vowed to kill him before Diwali this year.

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Members of the D-gang carried out a failed attempt to murder Rajan only two months back in Australia, but the gangster had a close shave yet again. Sources said that Rajan felt he was running out of places to hide and felt surrendering to police was his best bet at staying alive.

"He planned his own arrest and shared his travel itinerary and passport details with the contacts in Indian government who later shared it with the Australian authorities in a red corner notice. They further alerted the Indonesian authorities," a source close to Chhota Rajan was quoted saying.

Giving details about the circumstances leading to Rajan's arrest, he said they had information from the Indonesia Interpol that someone with the name Mohan Kumar has to be arrested based on the passport number.

"(When we got him) We told him not to worry if he cooperates with us. We told him about the Red Corner Notice. We told him that your photo provided is the same. He wanted my help to set him free," he said.

Asked whether Rajan was accompanied by someone else also, Nainggolan said Rajan came to Bali alone and the arrest was made in Bali as the Interpol was informed by Australia that they cannot arrest someone only on the basis of Red Corner Notice.

Asked whether it was suspicious for the Indonesian authorities to find Rajan alone as police, rival gangs and mafias were looking for him, he said "of course it is very suspicious".

"When we caught him, he looked scared...He is smoking constantly," Nainggolan said.

Wiyanto said Rajan's interrogation in Bali would be confined only to questioning on fake identity charges.

"Enquiry will be confined to ascertain whether the identity is true or not and to ensure that we did not arrest the wrong person," he said.

Chhota Rajan, one of India's most wanted gangster, was arrested in Bali, Indonesia, on a Red Corner Notice issued by Interpol after eluding law enforcement agencies for over two decades.

The arrest was made on a tip off from Australian police that Rajan, the powerful aide-turned-rival of terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, has flown from Sydney to Bali.