JOIN USUnderworld don Chhota Rajan was deported to India and will land early on Friday morning in Delhi, where he will remain in CBI custody.
The Maharashtra government made a surprise announcement of handing over all cases related to him to the central agency.
Authorities were planning to deport him on Tuesday but a volcanic eruption in a nearby island of Bali forced the closure of airport until Thursday afternoon, leading to the delay.
“Chhota Rajan deported successfully to India. Delay due to Bali airport closure ends. Thanks Indonesia for support,” Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Gurjit Singh tweeted.
The 55-year-old don, who fears a fatal attack on him by the gangs of his former boss Dawood Ibrahim, told reporters in Bali as he was taken to airport, “Mein khush hoon. Apni dharti maa ke paas ja raha hoon (I am happy. I am going to my motherland).” Rajan, who has fled India 27 years ago, left Indonesia in a special plane under the watch of a group of officers drawn from the CBI, Delhi Police and Mumbai Police.
The plane took off from the Ngurah Rai International airport at 10:15 pm local time (7:45 pm IST) and is likely to land at Indira Gandhi International Airport between 3 am and 5 am. Officials said Rajan would be kept in the CBI headquarters before he is taken to a court.
With the Maharashtra government deciding to transfer around 75 cases against Rajan to CBI, the don will remain in the custody of CBI. Rajan had earlier expressed concern over his safety in Maharashtra and claimed that a section in the Mumbai Police has links with Dawood and they will harm him.
Security agencies have also warned about the risks in sending Rajan to Mumbai as Dawood gang members were still out in open and they would target him. Now, with the CBI set to get Rajan’s custody, it is up to the agency to decide when to take him to Mumbai for further investigations.
Sources said the central security agencies managed to convince the Maharashtra leadership about the situation. The Mumbai Police had earlier insisted that they need the custody of Rajan to conclude the cases against him. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval recently.
The Delhi Police are also likely to get the custody of Rajan as they have registered half-a-dozen cases against them. Sources said the city police have finalised a few locations where they could lodge Rajan. This includes a BSF camp on the outskirts of Delhi.
Investigators said they will carefully examine a laptop and mobile phone, which were recovered from him when he was arrested in Bali on October 25. Rajan will also face probe for using fake identity to procure a passport in Sydney.