Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: In a major breakthrough, the Mumbai police have managed to capture fugitive gangster and big-time drug dealer Santosh Shetty, a former close aide of underworld don Chhota Rajan, reports claimed on Friday.
He was produced in a local Mumbai court, which remanded him to the custody of Crime Branch till August 17.
Shetty, once the right hand man of underworld don Chhota Rajan, was arrested in Bangkok by Thai police nearly a week ago.
Shetty was arrested following a brawl with a few businessmen in a beer bar in the Thai capital. Reports claim that the gangster gave the Thai police a fake passport during the questioning. He was then booked for assault. His was living under the disguise of Nicholous Sharma alias Nick Sharma.
Thai authorities later raided his residence and recovered his real passport. After verifying their records, they found that he was wanted by the Interpol because of crimes committed in Mumbai.
On Thursday night, he was deported back to Mumbai for questioning related to various crimes committed by his gang since 1990.
Shetty, who separated from Chhota Rajan in the year 2004 and formed his own gang, was actively involved in extortions, kidnappings and contract killings.
Shetty is suspected in the February 2009 killing of lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was representing suspects in the serial train blasts, the November 2010 killing of Rajan henchman Farid Tanasha and the October 2010 killing of gangster Bharat Nepali in a Bangkok hotel.
He was formerly lodged in the Nasik jail in connection with his conviction under the Narcotics Act for five years. However, he later slipped to Bangkok after he was released on parole.
First Published: Friday, August 12, 2011, 11:45