Following in the footsteps of his arch rivals, Chhota Shakeel and Abu Salem, who imported sharpshooters from Uttar Pradesh, Chhota Rajan has now begun to do the same.
Further, not only has Rajan started recruiting from Uttar Pradesh, but has also expanded his activities there.
According to the UP police, earlier Rajan used to mainly hire Maharashtrians and Kannadigas from in and around Mumbai as shooters. But the police confirms that this trend has changed and Rajan has expanded his recruitment network to UP too. “Most of Rajan’s henchmen like Subhash Singh Thakur, Feroz Tanasha. Mukhtar Ansari and the like are currently lodged in UP jails. Hence it becomes easier for them to arrange for shooters from there. These men are dreaded undertrials and can get people to work for them,” Brij Lal, additional director general of police, law and order, UP told this paper. “The Rajan gang is active in the state and is also supplying shooters and weapons to his accomplices in Mumbai for committing crimes there,” said Mr Lal. Recently a member of the Rajan gang was arrested by STF for his alleged role in the blast on Union minister Nand Gopal Gupta.
“This shooter was in touch with Thakur and Rajan’s other aides, who were lodged in jail,” said Mr Lal. He further added that Rajan, who, until now was more active in Mumbai, had also started getting involved in property disputes and making threatening calls to businessmen in UP.
Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner crime, Mumbai also confirmed the trend and said. “Rajan is hiring shooters from UP, particularly the eastern part as they come very cheap,” said Mr Roy. “The shooters do not have any crime record here (Mumbai) and after the execution, they leave the city and go back to their home.”