Six Chhota Rajan men found guilty in extortion case of 2005

Six members of underworld don Chhota Rajan’s gang were convicted on Friday by the Mumbai sessions court in an extortion case of Delhi in 2005. The convicts are Rajan’s lieutenant Vicky Malhotra, John D’Souza, Dharmesh Shah, Bhaskar Bhandari and Jitendra Tiwari.

The case pertains to an extortion bid made in Delhi in 2005. The accused called up a diamond merchant and demanded Rs1 crore. They threatened to kill him if the amount was not paid.

Judge AV Avachat however acquitted another Chhota Rajan aide DK Rao, along with Kashi Passi, Yusuf Batkhana, Shrikant Sonawane and Firoz Bashir, for lack of evidence.

All 13 were booked under the MCOCA in 2005. One accused, Appa Deshmukh, was acquitted, while another, Farid Tanasha, was shot dead earlier this month by some unknown gunmen.

Tanasha and Malhotra were also accused of threatening 21 builders in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh. Malhotra who was caught by Mumbai Police in Delhi in 2005, since then he was in Arthur Road jail custody. Later, Tanasha was also arrested in Delhi. Over 80 witnesses including voice analysis experts were examined in the case.