| hari |
Posted
on 27-Sep-00 09:15 PM
Wednesday, 27 September, 2000, 11:50 GMT 12:50 UK
One of Bombay's most infamous gang leaders is to be charged with immigration fraud in Thailand.
Rajendra Nikhalje, also known as Chhota Rajan, is accused of declaring false information in a visa application, according to reports.
Rajan was wounded earlier this month in a gangland attack in his Bangkok apartment, in what was seen as an attempt on his life by a rival gang.
We found that he had filed a false statement...when he requested to change his visa
Visanu Muangpraesri, Thai immigration
Bombay police have been keen to extradite Rajan to try him on a series of murder, smuggling and extortion charges.
Press reports had earlier suggested that he was planning to leave Thailand.
But the charges by Bangkok immigration will now keep him in the country.
"We found that he had filed a false statement...when he requested to change his visa," immigration officer, Visanu Muangpraesri said.
Rajan had allegedly asked to change his tourist visa to a business visa, to enable him to operate an import-export company.
Gangland attack
One of Rajan's close associates, the Bombay gangster Rohit Verma, was killed and his wife injured in the attempt on his life.
Wreckage of the 1993 Bombay bomb campaign
Rajan was shot in the stomach and shoulder but managed to escape by jumping out of a window.
Three Pakistanis and a Thai national were arrested over the attack.
A rival gangster, Chhota Shakeel, a close aide of another Bombay gang leader Dawood Ibrahim, has said he was responsible for the attack.
Rajan was part of the Ibrahim gang until 1993. They split up after the serial bomb blasts in Bombay that year in which several hundred people were killed.
The bomb blasts were alleged to have been masterminded by Ibrahim, who is now believed to be operating out of Karachi in Pakistan.
Rivalry
The BBC's Sanjeev Srivastava in Bombay says Rajan now attempts to portray himself as a Hindu Mafia boss.
His men are charged with killing some of those accused in the Bombay bomb blasts case.
Since 1993, violence between the two gangs have lead to in killings in India, Nepal and the Gulf state of Dubai.
Rajan and Ibrahim fled India when they were unable to stave off pressure from the Bombay police.
They are now believed to have operations in the Gulf, South Asia, many south-east Asian countries as well as Australia.
|
