Mumbai: Armed with hurriedly-prepared
extradition documents, Indian police have rushed to Thailand
to lay claim on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim`s close aide,
who is set to be freed soon upon completion of his sentence in
a murder case, a move aimed at thwarting Pakistan`s claim that
gangster was their national.
Mumbai police have been camping in Thailand since the
last two days, to seek extradition of Dawood`s aide Muzakkir
Mudassar Hussain Sayyed alias Munna Zingada, who has been
behind bars in Bangkok in a firing case in 2001, in which,
rival gang leader Chhota Rajan was injured and latter`s right
hand man Rohit Verma was killed.
Police sources said that Indian embassy in Thailand
had informed the Delhi authorities, stating that Pakistan had
already moved documents seeking Munna Zingada`s extradition
saying that his real name is Mohammed Saleem and that he was a
Pakistani national.
"Some time back, Pakistani authorities have submitted
forged documents to prove their claim. We have prepared a
stronger case, giving all the details of Zingada mentioning
his criminal antecedents. Six Non Bailable Warrants have been
issued against him and a Red Corner Notice had also been
issued against the 43-year-old wanted accused," said a senior
police official.
In 2001, Zingada along with his associates had opened
fire on Rajan in Bangkok. Rajan`s right hand man Rohit Verma
was killed, while Rajan survived.
On Monday, city police were instructed by the Ministry
of Home Affairs that a detailed report, seeking extradition of
Zingada, to be prepared, mentioning the crimes carried out by
him in Mumbai.
Carrying all the details, a two-member team of the
city police rushed to Delhi, from where, they flew to Thailand
on Wednesday, after completing rest of the formalities for the
extradition in the national capital.
"It appears that our objective to prove that Zingada
is an Indian national has been achieved," Himanshu Roy, Joint
Police Commissioner (Crime) said. He however refused to
divulge any other details.
In a few days, Zingada is expected to complete his
sentence in the Bangkok jail, sources said adding that he has
been in jail since over a decade.
"Now the Thailand authorities would go through both
the claims, before taking a decision on whom to hand over the
hardcore criminal," said a source.
On September 4, 2001, Zingada was smuggled into
Bangkok. Ten days later, he shot at Rajan, while the latter
was partying, sources added.
Zingada`s initiation into crime took place in 1990,
when he stabbed a fellow student to death over an eve-teasing
incident outside his college at Jogeshwari (E). His ruthless
nature soon caught the eye of Ismail Malbari, a close
associate of mafia boss Chhota Shakeel, a right hand of
Dawood, police said.
A resident of Jogeshwari (E), Zingada finally
graduated to the rank of a shooter, when he was assigned the
task of killing a person at Shakeel`s behest at Bandra, police
said.
Zingada`s first big hit came on October 1997, when he
shot dead an important member of gangster-turned-politician
Arun Gawli`s party- Akhil Bharatiya Sena.
Zingada`s killing streak finally skid to halt, when he
was apprehended with a mini-arsenal in his possession at
Santacruz in 1997. Granted bail in 1999, Zingada flew the coup
and landed in Karachi. Even before Zingada could settle down
in the Pakistani city, Shakeel was assembling a death squad
that would confront his own arch enemy.
PTI
