NEW DELHI: There was also a Mumbai underworld angle involving gangster Chhota Rajan aides to the shooting at S A R Geelani before the Samjhauta Express accused Rajender Chaudhary allegedly confessed to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that it was the handiwork of Hindu fanatics. The underworld angle, revealed to Mumbai Crime Branch in 2005 itself, was, however, never explored further.
Accused and later acquitted in the 2001 Parliament attack case, Geelani was shot at in Vasant Vihar in February 2005. Five months later, in June 2005, Mumbai Crime Branch arrested Rajan's two close aides - Vickey Malhotra and Farid Tanasha - from here in connection with a case of extortion.
During interrogation, Tanansha told Crime Branch officers that he had not only helped Indian agencies reach Afzal Guru, prime accused in the Parliament attack case, but also engineered the attack on Geelani.
Sources say Tanasha, who was gunned down by his rivals in 2010, was close to certain sections of the Indian intelligence apparatus who used him to sabotage activities of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. He had allegedly even been sent to Pakistan to organize Dawood's killing but failed to carry it out. His arrest, says sources, in fact caused a lot of friction between the Mumbai Police and the intelligence set up.
The news of Tanasha owning up to the attack, however, found its way to the Mumbai media, even though this fact was never taken on record in his statement by Mumbai Crime Branch. Sources said that it happened because of two reasons: first, the revelation was not relevant to the case being investigated by the Mumbai Crime Branch and second, in absence of any evidence Tanasha could not be believed given most underworld entities are given to bragging.
"The entire Rajan gang found its ideological mores from what they called 'patriotic killings'. This meant that they would go after 1993 blast accused Dawood Ibrahim's men or those found involved in Islamic terror. In lieu, they would get protection from Indian agencies. They never missed a chance to score this 'patriotic' point either by killing someone found to be anti-national or by owning up to the killing of that person, even if falsely. Thus, it is quite possible that they tried killing Geelani, but it is equally possible that they were merely claiming it", said a senior Mumbai Police official.
During NIA interrogation, sources said, Rajender Chaudhary has confessed to having been involved in the shooting at Geelani. He has said that he was riding a bike while another Samjhauta blast accused Lokesh Sharma was riding pillion when at Vasant Vihar, Sharma shot at Geelani from the running bike.
Mumbai underworld angle to attack on Geelani in 2005?
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Mumbai underworld angle to attack on Geelani in 2005?
