Underworld kingpin Chhota Rajan was cleared of charges Yesterday (March 7th) in a 1996 murder case, while his associate was sentenced to life imprisonment for the shooting of Sayyed Sohel Maqbul Hussain.
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Maharashtra: In a Mumbai court ruling on Thursday, underworld figure Rajendra Nikalje, known as Chhota Rajan, was acquitted of the 1996 murder of Dongri resident Sayyed Sohel Maqbul Hussain due to insufficient evidence. However, Rajan’s former associate, Ejaz Lakdawala, also known as Ajju, was convicted and handed a life sentence by special court judge AM Patil.
The incident in question occurred when Ejaz Lakadawala, along with another associate of Chhota Rajan, stormed into a shop purportedly owned by a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang and shot Sayyed Sohel Maqbul Hussain. This shooting took place against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the Chhota Rajan gang and the Dawood Ibrahim gang in 1996, during the peak of their rivalry.
Despite Rajan’s acquittal, the sentencing of Ejaz Lakdawala to life imprisonment underscores the legal consequences of involvement in criminal activities. This ruling serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to address and prosecute criminal activities within Mumbai’s underworld.
Lakdawala and another individual entered the shop and opened fire on Maqbul Hussain. During the shooting, Lakdawala’s firearm malfunctioned, causing a bullet to strike his right leg. Police apprehended Lakdawala and his accomplice as Lakdawala attempted to flee despite sustaining an injury to his leg.
Maqbul Hussain lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at Pydhonie Police Station on October 7, 1996, under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, along with sections of the Indian Arms Act. Following Hussain’s demise, the charges were amended to include murder.
The crux of the case rested on Hussain’s statement, recorded shortly before his passing in the hospital. Investigations revealed that Chhota Rajan, who was abroad at the time, had ordered the shooting. Rajan was subsequently deported from Bali and is currently serving a life sentence at Delhi’s Tihar jail for another offense.
Despite Lakdawala’s escape from India in 1998 following his initial arrest, he was located in Canada with the assistance of Interpol and extradited back to India. The court acquitted the second henchman who was arrested alongside Lakdawala, while another individual named Ajay, who supplied the firearm used in the shooting, remains at large.
Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat conceded during the trial that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lacked evidence linking Rajan directly to the case. However, Gharat highlighted that Lakdawala was positively identified in court by the police constables who apprehended him in 1996. Moreover, forensic examination confirmed that the bullets recovered from Hussain’s body matched those fired from the firearm seized from Lakdawala during his arrest.
After meticulously reviewing all evidence presented, the court convicted and sentenced Lakdawala. He faces several other ongoing cases, reflecting the extent of his criminal involvement.
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