Chhota Rajan Arrested in Indonesia, to be Deported to India
Chhota Rajan arrested in Bali, to be deported to India.
A lot of the chatter on social media is restricted to one question: how will India be able to arrest and charge Chhota Rajan when it doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Indonesia? India’s treaty is pending ratification, and it may happen as early as the following Sunday.
Extradition Treaty Not Necessary
However an extradition treaty may not be necessary. Indonesia can simply choose to deport Chhota Rajan to India. Anil Wadhwa, the Ministry of External Affairs Secretary has said:
Vice President Hamid Ansari is due to visit Indonesia from Nov 1-4. However, from the point of view of Chhota Rajan being handed over to India, we will not need an extradition treaty.
(With reporting from Poonam Agarwal)
Indonesia to deport Chhota Rajan?
The Associated Press (AP) is quoting Indonesian authorities as saying that they will deport him to India.
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, known in India as “Chotta Rajan,” was on the Interpol’s most wanted list for two decades, said Bali police spokesman Heri Wiyanto.
Wiyanto said police were questioning Nikalje in the Bali police headquarters in Denpasar, the provincial capital, and coordinating with Indian diplomats for a deportation process. He held an Indian passport when he arrived in Denpasar, about 968 kilometers (602 miles) east of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
“This man is suspected to have been involved in more than 20 murders in India,” said Wiyanto, “We will deport him this week.”
“The information we have received is that the identification and verification of Chotta Rajan is going on,” said India’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh. He thanked the Indonesian government and Interpol, and added, “We will take necessary action once the formalities are over.”
Another official, the Denpasar Police chief detective Reinhard Habonaran Nainggolan told reporters earlier that the man’s name was Mohan Kumar, 56, known in Indian media as Cyanide Mohan, a serial killer who preyed on women looking for marriage.
Wiyanto said the previous report on Kumar was wrong, but he refused to explain, while Nainggolan could not be reached for comments.
He said Nikalje told police that he had been hiding in Australia for seven years and flew to Bali by a Garuda Indonesia flight for vacation.
Finally, a visual ID of Chhota Rajan’s arrest! ANI has tweeted out a photograph courtesy NCB-Interpol Indonesia.
The CBI has issued a statement on Chhota Rajan’s arrest.
The Quint has been able to re-confirm from the Ministry of Home Affairs that Chhota Rajan has been arrested, after a brief period of uncertainty following reports that the man arrested in Bali was Cyanide Mohan, a serial killer.
Here’s a recap:
Chhota Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje was arrested yesterday in Bali, Indonesia after his arrival from Australia. The CBI Director, Anil Sinha (quote in a tweet below) has said that the gangster was arrested upon the CBI’s request through Interpol.
Home Secretary in Huddle With Top Intel Officers
The Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, The Quint has learned, is in a meeting with top intelligence officials of the Indian government. Chhota Rajan’s arrest will necessarily involve a number of logistics, before he can be extradited to India.
Rajan, a former lieutenant of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, has been on the run for more than a decade.
CBI Director Confirms Arrest
The Press Trust of India (PTI) has tweeted, quoting CBI Director Anil Sinha as confirming that it is indeed Chhota Rajan who has been arrested in Bali.
Chhota Rajan Arrested...Or Not?
CNN-IBN reports that the man arrested in Bali is not Chhota Rajan as widely reported, but Cyanide Mohan, a serial killer.
Here’s the earlier report we carried [text reproduced below]. It’s worth noting that we got a confirmation from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
One of India’s most wanted people, the gangster Chhota Rajan (real name: Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje) has been arrested in Bali as he arrived in the resort island. According to reports, the local police got a tip-off from the Australian police and detained him right after his arrival at the island on Sunday.
The Quint has been able to confirm his arrest from sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Bali police spokesperson Heri Wiyanto said that the Bali police were coordinating with Interpol. Mint has quoted Wiyanto as saying that authorities in Bali are coordinating with their Indian counterparts and that it is likely that Rajan will be deported to India.
Stay tuned for further updates.
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