Today, On 30th May, Gangster Chhota Rajan convicted for the 2001 murder of Mumbai hotelier Jaya Shetty, who owned the Golden Crown Hotel. Shetty had faced extortion threats from Rajan’s gang prior to his murder. This conviction is a significant development in the prolonged legal battle. Rajan’s extensive criminal history now includes this high-profile case.
Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai, On Thursday, convicted notorious gangster Chhota Rajan for the murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty, which occurred in 2001. The Special Judge overseeing cases under the Maharashtra Control Of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), AM Patil, found Rajan guilty of Shetty’s murder under the Indian Penal Code provisions.
Jaya Shetty, the owner of the Golden Crown Hotel located in the Gamdevi area of Central Mumbai. He facing extortion demands from Chhota Rajan’s criminal gang and shot dead by two alleged members of the gang on the first floor of his hotel on May 4, 2001.
Prior to the attack, Shetty had been provided police protection after reporting the extortion threats from Chhota Rajan’s syndicate. However, the security detail withdrawn at Shetty’s own request, about two months before he was killed.
The court expected to pronounce the sentence for Chhota Rajan later the same day. This conviction serves as a significant development in the long-running legal case surrounding Shetty’s murder, which arranged by the notorious gangster‘s criminal organization.
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, also known as Chhota Rajan, an infamous underworld figure who has been convicted in a case related to the 2001 murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty. Shetty, the owner of the Golden Crown Hotel in central Mumbai’s Gamdevi area and also owned four restaurants in the city, including one on Grant Road.
Shetty reportedly been facing extortion threats from Chhota Rajan‘s criminal gang. In response, the authorities provided Shetty with police protection. However, Shetty later requested the withdrawal of his security detail, which occurred about two months before the fatal attack.
On May 4, 2001, Jaya Shetty shot and killed by two alleged members of Chhota Rajan‘s gang while on the first floor of his hotel. Immediately after the murder, a close associate of Chhota Rajan, Hemant Pujari, allegedly called the hotel and threatened to “wash out” Shetty’s family if they did not pay the demanded extortion money. Pujari remains a wanted suspect in the case.
The conviction of Chhota Rajan in this murder case is a significant development in the ongoing efforts to bring the notorious underworld figure to justice for his alleged involvement in various criminal activities over the years.
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The special court in Mumbai found that notorious criminal Chhota Rajan, along with Ajay Mohite, Pramod Dhonde, and Rahul Pansare, conspired to carry out the murder of Jaya Shetty. The other three individuals convicted earlier in relation to Shetty’s killing.
Chhota Rajan accused in approximately 70 criminal cases in the state of Maharashtra, including the high-profile 2011 murder of journalist J. Dey. The gangster arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25, 2015 and subsequently deported to India.
Since his deportation to India, Chhota Rajan held in judicial custody at the high-security Tihar prison in Delhi.