Extortion bid sealed Sohrabuddin, Tulsi's fate

The gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his associates had demanded from RK Marbles and Sangam Textiles - both major business houses of Rajasthan - Rs20 crore each. This extortion attempt proved fatal for the criminal who was killed, along with his wife, in a joint operation by the Gujarat and Rajasthan police.

Sohrabuddin was notorious as an extortionist and had frequently demanded protection money from the marble traders operating in and around Udaipur district of Rajasthan. In an effort to establish his supremacy in the local underworld, Sohrabuddin had reportedly eliminated a rival gangster, Hamid Lala of Udaipur, in 2004.

Two persons who were familiar with Sohrabuddin said in their statements before the CBI that Sohrabuddin and Tulsi Prajapati had threatened the owners of RK Marbles and Sangam Textiles. The owners of the two business establishments are considered powerful and well-connected people.

Rafique alias Bunty, who was arrested and lodged in Udaipur jail in connection with the Hamid Lala murder case, told the CBI that he met Tulsi in Udaipur jail a few days after Sohrabuddin was killed in an encounter.

"Tulsi had told me that he and Sohrabuddin intended to collect Rs20 crore from the owners of RK Marble and Sangam Textiles each," Rafique said in his statement before the CBI. "But, Abhay Chudasama, had picked up Tulsi from Bhilwara and, on his (Tulsi's) tip-off, the Gujarat police abducted Sohrabuddin, Kausarbi and Tulsi himself from near Hyderabad."