Chennai CBI court convicts underworld gangster Chhota Rajan

CHENNAI: A special CBI court in Chennai on Thursday (July 30) convicted gangster Chhota Rajan alias Vijay Kadam alias Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje in a passport fraud case and sentenced him to seven years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 55,000 for offences including cheating, forgery, personation and knowingly submitting forged documents to obtain an Indian passport.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Chhota Rajan, also known as Vijaya Kadam, Rajendra and Nana, is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in New Delhi, where he is serving a life sentence in another case.

The CBI had registered the case on March 19, 2002, alleging that Rajan had fraudulently obtained a passport from the Regional Passport Office in Chennai by submitting forged documents and impersonating another person.

The investigation found that Rajan had applied for an Indian passport in the name of "Vijaya Kadam" using forged documents, including a school transfer certificate, ration card and demand draft, as proof of identity, age and residence.

The agency said further investigation established that the applicant was in fact Rajendra alias Nana alias Chhota Rajan, son of Sadashiv and a resident of Mumbai. By impersonating "Vijaya Kadam" and submitting fabricated documents, he allegedly deceived the Regional Passport Office into issuing the passport, which he subsequently used as a genuine document.

Following the investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet against Rajan on January 22, 2004.

After completion of the trial, the CBI court on Thursday found him guilty and sentenced him to seven years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 55,000. Rajan will continue to remain in Tihar Jail, where he is already serving a life sentence in another criminal case.