Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai on Thursday sentenced gangster Chhota Rajan to life imprisonment for the murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty here in 2001, six years after he was given a similar sentence in the murder of journalist J Dey.
Special judge A Patil for cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act convicted Rajan under sections 302 (murder), 120 (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of MCOCA.
After the conviction, the court sentenced the gangster, who is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail, to life rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 16 lakh on him.
Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, was arrested by Indonesian police in October 2015 before being extradited to India from Bali. The gangster had spent nearly three decades on the run before his arrest and was believed to be the former right-hand man of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Pradeep Gharat said that after Thursday's verdict, Rajan has been convicted in seven cases, including six in the city. A special MCOCA court had sentenced Rajan to life imprisonment in the 2018 murder of senior crime journalist J Dey.
Shetty, who owned the Golden Crown Hotel in Gamdevi, central Mumbai, was murdered on the first floor of the hotel on 4 May 2001.
According to the prosecution, the murder was committed by members of an organized crime syndicate led by Rajan. A person named Ajay Mohite, who was accompanied by Kundansingh Rawat of the syndicate, had shot Shetty.He was caught red-handed and found to be in possession of deadly weapons.
Although Rawat escaped from the spot, news of his death came later.
Investigation revealed that Pramod Dhonde, Rahul Pansare, Sameer Manik (accused) along with gangsters Hemant Pujari and Rajan had conspired to murder Jaya Shetty.
Before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case, Mumbai Police had invoked stringent provisions of MCOCA as Rajan Pujari faced multiple cases.
During the trial against Rajan, the prosecution examined 32 witnesses, including the victim's son.“The shooter was caught red-handed, faced trial and was convicted. The co-accused had confessed that they were working for Chhota Rajan. Apart from this, the victim had also received extortion calls from Rajan. He had threatened to kill Shetty and his family if he did not pay the extortion money. The prosecution relied on all these aspects,” said SPP Gharat.He said, Jaya Shetty's sons gave strong testimony against Rajan in the court.
One of his sons testified before the court that his father was shot by two men in his Golden Crown Hotel.
He had told the court, “We have been receiving extortion threats since 1999.” Even threats were received from Hemant Pujari.
Furthermore, he had testified that when he reached the hotel after the shooting, he received a call from Pujari claiming "Tumhare pita ka marder ka diya hai abhi tum log aagele".The SPP said Pujari also claimed that he was making extortion calls on the orders of Rajan.
In a separate trial, a special judge in 2004 sentenced shooter Mohite to life imprisonment. While Dhonde and Pansare were acquitted of murder charges, each was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for extortion.
Manik, who was on the run, was caught in 2008 and acquitted by the court the same year. The priest is still an absconding accused in this case.Rajan, already serving life imprisonment for the murder of J Dey in 2011, is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail.
Special judge A Patil for cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act convicted Rajan under sections 302 (murder), 120 (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of MCOCA.
After the conviction, the court sentenced the gangster, who is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail, to life rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 16 lakh on him.
Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, was arrested by Indonesian police in October 2015 before being extradited to India from Bali. The gangster had spent nearly three decades on the run before his arrest and was believed to be the former right-hand man of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Pradeep Gharat said that after Thursday's verdict, Rajan has been convicted in seven cases, including six in the city. A special MCOCA court had sentenced Rajan to life imprisonment in the 2018 murder of senior crime journalist J Dey.
Shetty, who owned the Golden Crown Hotel in Gamdevi, central Mumbai, was murdered on the first floor of the hotel on 4 May 2001.
According to the prosecution, the murder was committed by members of an organized crime syndicate led by Rajan. A person named Ajay Mohite, who was accompanied by Kundansingh Rawat of the syndicate, had shot Shetty.He was caught red-handed and found to be in possession of deadly weapons.
Although Rawat escaped from the spot, news of his death came later.
Investigation revealed that Pramod Dhonde, Rahul Pansare, Sameer Manik (accused) along with gangsters Hemant Pujari and Rajan had conspired to murder Jaya Shetty.
Before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case, Mumbai Police had invoked stringent provisions of MCOCA as Rajan Pujari faced multiple cases.
During the trial against Rajan, the prosecution examined 32 witnesses, including the victim's son.“The shooter was caught red-handed, faced trial and was convicted. The co-accused had confessed that they were working for Chhota Rajan. Apart from this, the victim had also received extortion calls from Rajan. He had threatened to kill Shetty and his family if he did not pay the extortion money. The prosecution relied on all these aspects,” said SPP Gharat.He said, Jaya Shetty's sons gave strong testimony against Rajan in the court.
One of his sons testified before the court that his father was shot by two men in his Golden Crown Hotel.
He had told the court, “We have been receiving extortion threats since 1999.” Even threats were received from Hemant Pujari.
Furthermore, he had testified that when he reached the hotel after the shooting, he received a call from Pujari claiming "Tumhare pita ka marder ka diya hai abhi tum log aagele".The SPP said Pujari also claimed that he was making extortion calls on the orders of Rajan.
In a separate trial, a special judge in 2004 sentenced shooter Mohite to life imprisonment. While Dhonde and Pansare were acquitted of murder charges, each was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for extortion.
Manik, who was on the run, was caught in 2008 and acquitted by the court the same year. The priest is still an absconding accused in this case.Rajan, already serving life imprisonment for the murder of J Dey in 2011, is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail.
