Chhota Rajan's's ex-aide Vicky Malhotra may have leaked info to Chhota Shakeel: Sources

MUMBAI: Did former Chhota Rajan associate Vicky Malhotra leak information on Rajan to Chhota Shakeel and Shakeel in turn to Australian authorities? Highly placed intelligence sources believe Malhotra, released in 2012, recently patched up with Shakeel.

TOI on July 2 carried a report titled 'Dawood's latest, frantic bid to kill Chhota Rajan foiled'. It now transpires that Dawood Ibrahim associate Shakeel's mole was Malhotra, who provided information of his mentor Rajan's whereabouts in Australia. Sources said that in July, Shakeel had sent five men, including one from India, to trace and kill Rajan in Australia. The group also tried to kill Lalit Modi a year ago at Shakeel's behest.

"These men camped at a particular locality in Australia and carried a thorough search for almost a month to track Rajan, but failed to trace him. Shakeel is believed to have been taking instructions from Malhotra and passing them on to his men. These conversations were tapped by the Intelligence Bureau. I don't know how Rajan got whiff of this and went to an undisclosed location in Australia," said an official.

After failing to track Rajan around September, Shakeel is believed to have called back his team of five. A desperate Shakeel then sent the details of Rajan's passport to Australia, informing that he was a Mumbai gangster and wanted in several murder and extortion cases, and against whom there was an Interpol red corner notice (RCN). There is no clarity as to which 'insider' realized that Rajan's passport bore the fictitious name of Mohan Kumar from Kanataka.

The Australian authorities eventually tracked Rajan in Sydney and asked him to leave the country , stating they didn't want bloodshed on their soil. Rajan was left with no option, but to leave.