Contesting the Opposition’s criticism that his Government had handed over all the cases against Chhota Rajan to the CBI in view of the underworld gangster’s allegation that there was nexus between some Mumbai Police officials and Dawood Ibrahim, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he had taken the decision in consultation with the senior officials of the city police.
“Before the decision was taken, I had called a meeting of senior police officials including Mumbai Plice Commissioner Javed Ahmed. All of them were of the opinion that the cases should be transferred to CBI,” Fadnavis disclosed here.
Fadnavis said that the question of the Maharashtra Government lending credence to Rajan’s allegation did not arise. “We don’t give importance to what a gangster says. There is no connection between our decision and his statement. If we were to catch Dawood, he would say the same thing about Rajan and Mumbai police,” he told a national news agency.
A day ahead of Rajan’s deportation from Bali to India, the Maharashtra Government had announced on the evening of November 5 that it was handing over all the cases involving the arrested underworld gangster to the CBI.
While announcing the Maharashtra Government’s decision to hand over all the cases involving Rajan, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) had said: “If we have chosen to hand over the cases of Rajan to the CBI, it is because the cases are not entirely related with Maharashtra. Since the crimes committed by Rajan are transnational in nature, we felt that the CBI is the best agency to investigate the case. If the CBI wants to investigate the cases by Keeping Raj in Delhi, the central agency is free do so. If the CBI wants to shift Rajan to Mumbai, we have made adequate preparations to facilitate such an investigation by the CBI”.
“The question of the Mumbai police being upset over the decision does not arise… The Mumbai police will assist the CBI in gathering evidence in cases registered against Rajan in Mumbai,” he said.