The big names of the underworld which once made banner headlines might be behind bars, but they are neither inactive nor dormant.
Their names sell, and they know very well that it's the fear and hysteria they once evoked in the minds of the people that would pay them in the future. And that's exactly what is happening.
They are spreading their tentacles in the National Capital Region (NCR) through local gangsters and small-time goons, who wish to make easy money selling fear.
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Khan Mubarak, a gangster and a close aide of Chhota Rajan, might be cooling his heels at the Hardoi jail after his arrest in 2017 by the Uttar Pradesh STF, but his men are busy scaring big-shot businessmen for extortion, often firing at them to either extract protection money or back off if the money has been borrowed or taken by any of Mubarak's close aides in the NCR.
The recent arrest of Gajendra Singh, a close aide of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Abu Salem, by the Noida STF has spilled the beans on the nexus between the local goons and the underworld Dons lodged in jails.
With Noida and Greater Noida becoming the property hubs, it's not just the salaried class or businessmen who have eyed the areas as fruitful money investment plans, but the region has also caught the attention of jailed gangsters and underworld Dons as lucrative options to invest.
Their names sell, and they know very well that it's the fear and hysteria they once evoked in the minds of the people that would pay them in the future. And that's exactly what is happening. Pixabay
"We have got clear evidence that Gajendra Singh was buying a property in the NCR for underworld mafias such as Abu Salem and Khan Mubarak, and the electronic money trail helped us connect the dots," said Raj Kumar Mishra, Additional Superintendent of Police, Noida STF.
The properties are being bought in the names of the close associates of the gangsters. This clearly shows that the underworld has not just spread its tentacles in the region, but has been working for long to activate its network in the NCR. This means being behind bars doesn't mean out of work.
Gajendra Singh had taken Rs 1.80 crore from a Delhi-based businessman in 2014 in a property-related case. When he was pressured to return the money, Gajendra Singh had Khan Mubarak's shooters open fire at the businessman in Sector 18, oida. The businessman was in his BMW car and had a narrow escape when shots were fired at him.
The properties are being bought in the names of the close associates of the gangsters. This clearly shows that the underworld has not just spread its tentacles in the region, but has been working for long to activate its network in the NCR. Pixabay
According to the police, Gajendra Singh had paid the shooters a sum of Rs 10 lakh, and the agency has cracked the money trail of the transaction.
"There were multiple transactions through RTGS and eventually the digital footprints connected the money to the close aides of the jailed gangsters," Mishra said.
Currently, Salem, who worked for fugitive underworld don and 1993 Mumbai blasts key accused Dawood Ibrahim, is behind bars in Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai, while Mubarak is lodged in Hardoi jail.
Once a key player in the D-Company, Abu Salem was deported from Lisbon, Portugal, in 2005. In 2017, a TADA Court convicted him for life in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. He has also been convicted in several other cases, including for the murder of Mumbai-based builder Pradeep Jain in 1995.
Chota Rajan is currently lodged in Tihar jail after his deportation and subsequent arrest in 2015 from Bali, Indonesia. (IANS)