A lot has been said about the recently-arrested underworld don Chhota Rajan – among them, his claims to nationalism to save India from another dreaded don, Dawood Ibrahim.
But what is missing from this conversation is what follows Rajan’s arrest. What will happen to his extrortion, real-estate and drug trafficking business? Who will control it? One name stands out—Vicky Malhotra. And if reports are to be believed, Malhotra will soon take over Rajan’s business, with his blessings.
Malhotra has stood by Rajan in all his travails for the last twenty years, according to The Times of India. Rajan’s rivals in the D-company wanted to create a rift between Malhotra and him but they failed repeatedly. Now, after his arrest, Rajan has reportedly asked Malhotra to take up the reins because of “extremely hostile circumstances”.
Malhotra has been one of Rajan’s closest aides. His support remained steadfast even when Rajan split from other loyalists like Santosh Shetty and Ravi Pujari after he was attacked in Bangkok in 2000 by Dawood’s men.
Three Attempts to Kill Dawood and Thereafter
In 2010, a former Rajan aide, Bunty Pandey, told the police that there were three attempts made to kill Dawood—all of which failed. The first attempt was made in 1998 and the second in 2000. The final attempt in 2005 led to the arrest of Malhotra and Farid Tanasha. Malhotra jumped bail in 2010. Malhotra was closely associated with a former director of the Intelligence Bureau, who reportedly helped him skip bail and get off scot-free.
Since then he has been shuttling between Dubai and Africa, where Dawood is believed to be dealing in blood diamonds.
However, with Rajan’s arrest, there is another intriguing development. An officer from the Home Minsitry has told Mid-Day that the don has agreed to divulge details about Malhotra’s widespread network in Maharashtra, specifically Mumbai and Andhra Pradesh.
The Split
Rajan broke off from Dawood’s gang after the Bombay blasts in 1993, citing communal reasons. From then until the late 2000s, Rajan thundered through the underworld, unsettling Dawood’s gang. Through all this, Rajan had Malhotra’s unwavering support.
After Tanasha was killed by Bharat Nepali in 2010, Malhotra made an extensive plan to avenge the death of his accomplice and friend. Nepali was finally killed in 2010, mere months after Tanasha’s death.
Malhotra being touted as Rajan’s successor has a lot to do with him being powerful enough to stop the D-company from gaining any more teeth in Mumbai’s underworld.