7-year jail to gangster Chhota Rajan

Facing 70 cases

The 55-year-old gangster was deported to India after his arrest in Bali in October 2015On the run for 27 years, he was once a close aide of fugitive terrorist Dawood IbrahimHe is facing trial in over 70 cases of murder, extortion and drug smuggling in Delhi and Mumbai

New Delhi, April 25

A special court today awarded seven-year jail term to gangster Chhota Rajan and three retired public servants in a fake passport case.

Special Judge Virender Kumar Goyal awarded the sentence to Rajan and others for offences including forgery of valuable security under the IPC, which entail a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

The other persons who have been convicted are retired government servants Jayashree Dattatray Rahate, Deepak Natvarlal Shah and Lalitha Lakshmanan.

Rajan is lodged in Tihar Jail here. The other three persons, who were out on bail, were taken into custody yesterday after the verdict was announced.

The court had on March 28 reserved its judgement in the case in which Rajan allegedly procured a fake passport in the name of Mohan Kumar with the help of the three government officials.

Lakshmanan had approached the high court to transfer to Bengaluru her trial in the case but the petition was rejected on January 9 on the grounds that a district court here could also hear the matter.

During pendency of the plea, the high court had ordered a stay on pronouncement of verdict in the case by trial court. However, the high court later rejected the plea. PTI