{{short description|Indian gangster}} {{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox criminal | name = Chhota Rajan | image = ChottaRajan.jpg | caption = Rajan in the early 1990s | birth_name = Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|01|13|df=yes}} <!-- {{birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}} if dead;--> | birth_place = Chembur, Bombay, Bombay State, India<br>{{small|(present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra)}} | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = {{hlist|Crime boss|Gangster|Drug peddler|Mobster|Extortionist}} | education = | spouse = Sujata Nikalje<ref name="ED may attach properties of Chhota Rajan's wife" /> | children = 3 | other_names = Rajan<br>Chota Rajan | years_active = 1978–2015 | known_for = {{hlist|Smuggling|Extortion|Being the former partner of Dawood Ibrahim|70 murder cases}} | predecessor = Bada Rajan | opponents = Dawood Ibrahim | criminal_charge = | terrorist member = | conviction_penalty = | conviction = Murder of Jyotirmoy Dey (2011) }}
'''Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje''' (born 13 January 1957),<ref>{{cite web |author1=Parliamentary Standing Committee |title=Committee on Government Assurances (2016-2017) |url=http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Government%20Assurances/16_Government_Assurances_65.pdf |publisher=Lok Sabha Secretariat |access-date=24 July 2018 |page=21 |date=10 August 2017|quote= Recently one Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje @ Chhota Naman S/o Sadashiv Sakahram Nikalje, Date of Birth: 05.12.1959 was arrested in Indonesia by Indonesian police on 25.10.2015 and pursuant to deportation request from India he was deported to India on 05.11.2015.}}</ref> popularly known by his moniker '''Chhota Rajan''', is an Indian gangster and convicted criminal who was the crime lord of a major Mumbai-based syndicate.
Rajan was extradited from Bali to India on 6 November 2015 after 27 years on the run and awaited trials for ongoing cases was in custody.<ref name="Chhota Rajan finally brought back to India after 27 years on the run">{{cite web | url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/chhota-rajan-finally-brought-to-india-after-27-years-on-the-run-2497094.html | title=Chhota Rajan finally brought back to India after 27 years on the run | publisher=Firstpost | date=6 November 2015 | access-date=26 August 2016}}</ref> On 2 May 2018, he was convicted of murder of a journalist and handed life imprisonment.<ref name="DeyConvictHindu" /> He was convicted of murder of a hotelier and handed rigorous life imprisonment on 30 May 2024.<ref name=":1" /> In India, this was the sixth case in which Chotta Rajan was convicted since his deportation.<ref name=":2" />
==Criminal career== Rajan was born in a family in the Tilaknagar area of Chembur, Bombay.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-10-30|title=Was Chhota Rajan arrested because he is Dalit?: RPI leader Ramdas Athawale|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-was-chhota-rajan-arrested-because-he-is-dalit-rpi-leader-ramdas-athawale-2140351|access-date=2020-06-15|website=DNA India|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-12-25 |title=Relatives say Chhota Rajan didn't want any of them in 'his field' |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/relatives-say-chhota-rajan-didnt-want-any-of-them-in-his-field/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> He worked as a cinema ticket seller in his early days.<ref name="ED may attach properties of Chhota Rajan's wife">{{cite web | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ED-may-attach-properties-of-Chhota-Rajans-wife/articleshow/9178450.cms?referral=PM | title=ED may attach properties of Chhota Rajan's wife | publisher=TNN | date=11 July 2011 | access-date=26 August 2016 | author=C Unnikrishnan}}</ref>
He began his criminal career by committing petty crimes in Chembur.<ref name="HT_Rajan" /> His mentor Bada Rajan introduced him to black marketing of cinema tickets at Sahakar cinema Ashok Theatre in the 1980s.<ref name="Rajan's Ganpati show-of-strength diminishes">{{cite news|title=Rajan's Ganpati show-of-strength diminishes|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Rajans-Ganpati-show-of-strength-diminishes/articleshow/143426.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922084024/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-08-23/mumbai/27196477_1_ganesh-pandals-ashok-satardekar-sahyadri-krida-mandal|url-status=live|archive-date=22 September 2012|access-date=21 August 2011|newspaper=The Times of India|date=23 August 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gawli tops in murders, Chhota Rajan in moolah|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/1998/jul/25khan.htm|work=Rediff.com|access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> His mentors were Bada Rajan and Yadagiri of Hyderabad under whom he learned the tricks of the trade. Once Bada Rajan was killed, Nikalje received the throne and the title—Chhota Rajan.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 26, 2015|title=Chhota Rajan deported to India: Who is Chhota Rajan?|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/who-is-what-is/story/who-is-chhota-rajan-why-is-he-in-news-269836-2015-10-26|access-date=2021-05-09|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref> For a short period, Dawood Ibrahim, Rajan and Arun Gawli worked together. Then, Gawli's elder brother Papa Gawli was assassinated over a drug deal and a rift formed. He never returned. Following the 1993 Bombay bombings, Ibrahim and Rajan fell out. There were even reports that Rajan tipped off the Research and Analysis Wing about Ibrahim's network.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-10-27 |title=RAW, IB used 'patriotic' don against Dawood Ibrahim |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/raw-ib-used-patriotic-don-against-dawood-ibrahim/articleshow/49546140.cms |access-date=2025-11-19 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
While living in Tilak Nagar, a big colony for the low-income group near Chembur, Mumbai, Rajan started as a petty black marketeer of cinema tickets at Sahakar Cinema in Tilak Nagar. In 1979, he and his gang were imprisoned for assaulting police constables. After being released from jail, he joined the Bada Rajan gang in 1980. After Bada Rajan was shot dead, Chhota Rajan sought refuge under Dawood Ibrahim and started controlling the gang's activities in Tilak Nagar, Ghatkopar and Chembur areas in east Mumbai. During the eighties, especially after Dawood Ibrahim fled from Mumbai to Dubai, Rajan gradually rose to be his right-hand man in Mumbai. As a part of a gang war between Dawood and Arun Gawli, in 1988, Rajan and his men were involved in the murder of another gang leader Ashok Joshi from Vikhroli who was a mentor to Arun Gawli. Fearing that Gawli may take revenge, he escaped to Dubai in 1988 and never returned. In 1993, Rajan and his close aides split from Dawood. Rajan escaped from Dubai and formed an independent gang that frequently clashed with Dawood's D-Company. He is wanted for many criminal cases that include extortion, murder, smuggling and drug trafficking. He is also wanted in 70 murder cases and several more attempted murders. Rajan's social organization, "Sahyadri Krida Mandal", which organizes the Ganesh Utsav in Tilaknagar, has been his home base. Rajan's wife and two daughters continue to live in Tilak Nagar. Rajan was arrested in Bali by Indonesian police on 25 October 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chhota Rajan arrested in Indonesia after decades on the run|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/ZfmejLWJlCFsvqEfzInBNL/Chhota-Rajan-arrested-in-Indonesia-after-two-decades-on-the.html|access-date=26 October 2015|publisher=DNA|date=26 October 2015}}</ref>
On 26 October 2015, Rajan was arrested in Bali.<ref name="Chhota Rajan arrested in Indonesia – Livemint">{{cite web | url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/ZfmejLWJlCFsvqEfzInBNL/Chhota-Rajan-arrested-in-Indonesia-after-two-decades-on-the.html | title=Chhota Rajan arrested in Indonesia | publisher=Livemint | date=26 October 2015 | access-date=26 August 2016 | author=Rajnish Sharma}}</ref> Acting on a tip-off from Australian police, Indonesian authorities detained Rajan on Sunday as he arrived in Bali from Sydney.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 6, 2015|title=How Chhota Rajan was identified and eventually arrested in Bali|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/how-chhota-rajan-was-identified-and-eventually-arrested-in-bali/articleshow/49690855.cms|access-date=2021-05-09|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|agency=PTI|date=2015-10-26|title=Chota Rajan arrested in Indonesia|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/chhota-rajan-arrested-in-bali/article7805863.ece|access-date=2021-05-09|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Anil Sinha confirmed the arrest saying, "Bali Police arrested Chhota Rajan yesterday at CBI’s request made through Interpol."<ref name="underworld don Chhota Rajan arrested – indtoday.com">{{cite web | url=http://www.indtoday.com/underworld-don-chhota-rajan-arrested-indtoday-com/ | title=underworld don Chhota Rajan arrested | publisher=indtoday | date=26 October 2015 | access-date=26 August 2016 | archive-date=15 February 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215050418/https://indtoday.com/underworld-don-chhota-rajan-arrested-indtoday-com/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Split with Dawood== After the split, he formed his own gang. Reports of bloody shootouts between Rajan and Dawood's hoodlums have been common since the split. In 1994, Rajan lured one of Dawood's favourite "narco-terrorist" Phillu Khan alias Bakhtiyar Ahmed Khan to a hotel room in Bangkok, where he was tortured to death, having been betrayed by his closest aide and sidekick Mangesh "Mangya" Pawar.<ref name="DNA_Don">{{cite news|title=When dons put on patriotic garb|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-when-dons-put-on-patriotic-garb-1419941|access-date=26 November 2017|publisher=DNA India|date=7 August 2010}}</ref> Both Phillu and Mangya were involved in the 1993 blasts as police had filed cases on 15 March 1993, alleging their involvement in the blasts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/1993 |title=1993: Information from |publisher=Answers.com |access-date=8 August 2010}}</ref>
==Assassination attempt== In September 2000, Dawood tracked down Rajan to Bangkok. Sharad used his links to track down Rajan in the city,<ref name="week">{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316063733/http://www.the-week.com/23feb02/events11.htm|url=http://www.the-week.com/23feb02/events11.htm|archive-date=16 March 2007|date=2 February 2003|title=Paying the piper|newspaper=The Week}}</ref> Dawood's aide Chhota Shakeel then led the hit. Posing as a pizza delivery man they gunned down the trusted Rajan hitman Rohit Varma and his wife.<ref name="week"/> However, their aim of killing Rajan failed. Rajan escaped through the hotel's roof and fire-escape. He then recovered in a hospital and slipped away to evade capture. Dawood Ibrahim confirmed the attack on the telephone to Rediff.com, saying Rajan tried to escape by jumping out of the window of the first-floor room where he was attacked but broke his back in the fall and was taken to hospital.<ref name="Chhota Rajan shot dead in Bangkok">{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/sep/15chhota.htm | title=Chhota Rajan shot dead in Bangkok | publisher=Rediff | date=15 September 2000 | access-date=26 August 2016 | author=Sheela Bhatt}}</ref> This failed assassination attempt proved costly for Dawood. Rajan's associates tracked down and shot dead Vinod Shetty in 2001 in Mumbai, as well as Sunil Soans – another Dawood associate. Both Vinod and Sunil had provided information to Dawood's associates of Rajan's whereabouts.<ref name="week"/>
While the killings of Vinod Shetty and Sunil Soans did not significantly disrupt D-Company, on 19 January 2003, Rajan's associates gunned down Sharad, Dawood's chief finance manager and money-laundering agent, at the India Club in Dubai.<ref name="week"/> This killing was emblematic of the shift of power between Dawood and Rajan. Not only was the execution in a very public setting, but it was also at a location that Dawood considered his operational backyard. Intelligence reports have suggested that Sharad's death was a crippling blow to D-Company since much financial and monetary information of the crime syndicate operations managed by Sharad was never fully recovered by Dawood.<ref name="week"/>
==Capture== On 25 October 2015, Rajan was captured in Bali, Indonesia where Indian authorities contacted Interpol for deporting him back to India. The capture took place due to a tip-off by Australian police stating that Rajan had travelled to Bali with an Indian passport by the name Mohan Kumar.<ref name=":0" /> According to CBI sources, the underworld don was standing in a queue at the airport when the immigration authorities asked him to step aside and reveal his name. To this, the gangster first gave his original name Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, and then immediately corrected himself to say, Mohan Kumar, the name mentioned on his passport. This alerted the authorities, and they started questioning him. The authorities then started the identification process with the help of fingerprint tests. 11 out of 18 points of fingerprint samples given in the Red Corner notice matched with his samples, confirming that he was Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/How-Chhota-Rajan-was-identified-and-eventually-arrested-in-Bali/articleshow/49690855.cms|title=How Chhota Rajan was identified and eventually arrested in Bali|work=The Times of India|access-date=2017-06-07}}</ref> Rajan was extradited to India on 6 November 2015 and is currently in Tihar Jail, awaiting trial in almost 70 cases.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chhota Rajan gets 7-year-jail term in fake passport case|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/b8Slsou39rtPOYRqkemBDI/Chhota-Rajan-gets-7yearjail-term-in-fake-passport-case.html|access-date=26 November 2017|agency=Press Trust of India|publisher=Live Mint|date=25 April 2017}}</ref>
==Conviction== A special CBI Court in New Delhi on 25 April 2017 awarded seven years rigorous imprisonment to Rajan and three other accused in the fake passport case.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chhota Rajan, 3 others held guilty in fake passport case|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/chhota-rajan-3-others-held-guilty-in-fake-passport-case/article18201219.ece|access-date=26 November 2017|work=The Hindu|date=24 April 2017}}</ref>
The Maharashtra MCOCA court found Chhota Rajan (aka Abhay) guilty of the murder of journalist J. Dey on 2 May 2018 and handed him life imprisonment.<ref name="DeyConvictHindu">{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/chhota-rajan-convicted-in-j-dey-murder-case-journalist-jigna-vora-acquitted/article23746289.ece |title=Chhota Rajan convicted in J Dey murder case, journalist Jigna Vora acquitted |newspaper=The Hindu |date= 2 May 2018|access-date=2018-05-02|last1=Saigal |first1=Sonam}}</ref>
The Maharashtra MCOCA court found Chhota Rajan guilty of the murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty and handed him rigorous life imprisonment on 30 May 2024.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Sah |first=Purnima |date=2024-05-30 |title=Gangster Chhota Rajan gets life sentence in 2001 case of murder of Mumbai hotelier Jaya Shetty |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra/gangster-chhota-rajan-gets-life-sentence-in-2001-case-of-murder-of-mumbai-hotelier-jaya-shetty/article68232071.ece |access-date=2024-05-31 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> In India this is the 6th case in which Chotta Rajan was convicted since his deportation.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=2024-05-31 |title=Chhota Rajan convicted in 6th case in India since deportation |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/chhota-rajan-convicted-in-6th-case-in-india-since-deportation/articleshow/110574651.cms |access-date=2024-05-31 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
==Personal life== Rajan is married to Sujata Nikalje.<ref name="ED may attach properties of Chhota Rajan's wife" /> The couple has three daughters; Ankita Nikalje, Nikita Nikalje and Khushi Nikalje. His younger brother Deepak Nikalje is associated with Republican Party of India of MP Ramdas Athawale. His native is Girvi village in the Satara district.<ref name="MumbaiMirror2014">{{cite news|title=Chhota Rajan tells Family to send him his mother's ashes|url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/Chhota-Rajan-tells-family-to-send-him-his-mothers-ashes/articleshow/31063505.cms|access-date=26 November 2017|work=Mumbai Mirror|date=27 February 2014}}</ref>
Rajan was addressed as 'Nana' by friends and colleagues. His group was also known as Nana Company.<ref name="HT_Rajan">{{cite news|title=Chhota Rajan: Scheming, ambitious, calculating underworld don|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/chotta-rajan-scheming-ambitious-calculating-underworld-don/story-tNFpSWa4h1IJMrPUj24itK.html|access-date=26 November 2017|work=Hindustan Times|date=26 October 2015}}</ref>
==In popular culture== The 2002 Bollywood film, ''Company'' had a character ''Chandu'', portrayed by actor Vivek Oberoi, with some resemblances of Chhota Rajan with real-life Dawood Ibrahim gang. Also, the 1999 film Vaastav: The Reality, starring Sanjay Dutt was loosely based on Rajan's life.<ref name="Movies">{{cite news|title='Company', 'Vaasatav': Bollywood's movies based on Chhota Rajan|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vaasatav-company-bollywoods-big-screen-tryst-with-chhota-rajan/|access-date=26 November 2017|agency=Press Trust of India|work=The Indian Express|date=28 October 2015}}</ref>
==See also== * Ali Budesh * Organised crime in India
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Organised crime in India}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajan, Chhota}} Category:1957 births Category:Bootleggers Category:Criminals from Mumbai Category:Crime in Thailand Category:Crime in the United Arab Emirates Category:Fugitives wanted by India Category:Marathi people Category:D-Company Category:Indian drug traffickers Category:Film producers from Mumbai Category:Indian people convicted of money laundering Category:Indian gangsters Category:Indian smugglers Category:Indian crime bosses Category:Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates Category:Indian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Category:Living people Category:People convicted of murder by India Category:Indian people convicted of murder Category:Inmates of Tihar Jail Category:Prisoners and detainees of Maharashtra