Thai police arrest Chhota Rajan for carrying fake passport

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 6: Thai police today arrested Mumbai Underworld don Chhota Rajan for entering into the country on an ``illegal'' passpo...

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 6: Thai police today arrested Mumbai Underworld don Chhota Rajan for entering into the country on an “illegal” passport and said he would be sent back to India after his trial.

Immigration police Chief Lt Gen Hemaraj Theerathai said Vijay Kadam, alias Chhota Rajan, was arrested after a three-member Mumbai police team, which arrived here yesterday, confirmed that the passport on which the don entered Thailand was not genuine. “This allowed Thai immigration police to detain him for illegal entry,” he added.

“Kadam is under arrest and won’t be allowed to leave the country until his trial for illegal entry is over. Then he will be sent back to India where he is wanted for many charges,” Theerathai said.

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But the arrest seems to have taken New Delhi by surprise. And now, the prospects of his being deported back to India have suddenly brightened with Thailand Government deciding to go ahead with his trial on the charges of carrying illegally procured passport.

Senior Home Ministry officials today refused to comment on the unexpected turn of events, saying “they are keenly following the developments.”

But one thing is for sure: securing the gangster’s deportation now rests mainly with the Mumbai Police. The final outcome of the trial will depend primarily on the case they prepare against him by providing necessary documents to the Thai prosecutors.

Meanwhile, the new development also means that the role of External Affairs Ministry in the matter is more or less over. From now onwards, the ball will be in Home Ministry’s court, Home Ministry officials said.

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Rajan’s arrest on illegal passport is somewhat similar to that of NSCN(IM)’s Secretary General Muivah’s arrest in Bangkok some months ago. But the similarity ends here. While India Government has no say in Muivah’s trial — he was freed on bail recently — it will have to assist Thai prosecution vigorously “if at all India is interested in seeing Rajan back in Mumbai.” By last count, Mumbai police had about 17 criminal cases slapped on Rajan.

In 1995, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had asked the Interpol to issue red corner arrest warrant for Rajan. CBI officials, when contacted today, said there was little else the agency could do.

That Interpol warrants mean so little is explained by the CBI. “Ultimately, it’s the prerogative of a counter to execute the warrant or not. For years, Chhota Rajan was holed up in Malaysia. As is clear, Interpol’s warrant meant nothing to that country,” says a CBI official. Ditto in the case of Dawood Ibrahim, where Dubai has shown no inclination to honour the warrant seeking his arrest.