MUMBAI: Four persons linked to the Chhota Rajan gang were on Saturday arrested in connection with the shooting of alleged police informer Amjad Khan in October, a senior police official said.
Khan, an accused in a drugs seizure case, was shot dead with his accomplice Himanshu Choudhary by three unidentified men near the Civil Sessions Court in the heart of downtown Mumbai on October 16.
"We arrested four people in connection with the case and recovered some foreign-made weapons from them," Additional Commissioner of Police (West Region) Bipin Bihari said.
Earlier, three people, including gangster Ejaz Pathan's nephew Abdul Wahab, were arrested by the Crime Branch in connection with the case on October 24.
Pathan, a former member of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's gang, is said to be working for Chhota Rajan's gang after his deporation to India.
Nikhil S Dixit adds: Law-enforcement agencies had lost their best ‘snitch’ on October 16, in a daring shootout outside the Sessions Court.
Amjad Khan’s death struck a body blow to Central agencies such as the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.
According to an NCB official, Khan’s “intel” led to eight major narcotic seizures in the past year alone. “He had great network in the drugs business, especially in Mandrax,” said the official. In his early days, Khan was among few informers who had 24x7 police protection.
But, in 1997, his protection was removed after he was arrested for possessing and peddling drugs. “He spent three-and-a-half years in jail,” the official said. “After he was released on bail, he became a full-time police informer.”
In the past 10 years, Khan received Rs5 lakh in cash as reward for his “intel” and about Rs35-40 lakh for additional “help”. A few years ago, Khan helped the police bust a gang, which used to smuggle drugs from the airport.
“He gave us specific information on how the smuggling took place and who was involved,” the official said. “Once Khan told us that drugs were being transported on an airliner. But, by the time, we got to the airport, the flight had taken off for London. We informed the police in London, who found the drugs. He was that precise.”
According to a Crime Branch officer, the Mumbai police seized a big cache of AK-47 rifles and ammunitions from a container at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), based on Khan’s tip. The cache allegedly was a consignment headed for gangster Chhota Rajan. The CB officer is not ruling out revenge-killing by the Rajan gang.
“The JNPT arms seizure in 2005 was a big blow to Rajan,” he said.
