Mumbai Police competent to secure Rajan conviction: Ex-top cop

MUMBAI: Former Mumbai Police Commissioner D Sivanandan, credited with curbing the underworld activities during his stint in Crime Branch here, is hopeful of police securing conviction of underworld don Chhota Rajan in criminal cases filed against him in the metropolis.

The former Maharashtra DGP today said he saw no hurdles in bringing the 55-year-old gangster, nabbed in Indonesia two days ago, to India and put to trial in Mumbai.

The one-time trusted aide of terrorist and crime boss Dawood Ibrahim was on the run for over 20 years and is wanted for heinous crimes ranging from murder, extortion to smuggling and drug trafficking.

Asked whether Crime Branch is fully prepared to secure guilty verdict in criminal cases against him, the highly regarded IPS officer said, "With my experience, I can say Mumbai Police is a thoroughly professional force and well- equipped to get this man convicted in all the cases."

"We should not forget that Mumbai Police had got successful conviction of gangster Abu Salem in the 1995 murder of builder Pradip Jain," he told PTI.

The extradited gangster was sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case early this year.

The former top cop said he expects Rajan to be in the Mumbai Police's custody within 10 day.

The 1976-batch IPS officer served for six years in the Crime Branch and during his stint (in late 1990s and early 2000), he is credited with having broken the back of underworld that was then at its peak in Mumbai.