New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Friday remanded
Uttar Pradesh gangster Munna Bajrangi, wanted in several
cases including the murder of a BJP MLA, and his close aide to
10 days police custody to allow investigators to unravel his
alleged extortion racket.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja sent Bajrangi
and Mahendra Ayare alias Shetty to custodial interrogation
till November 9 after the police submitted that the duo were
to be taken to different places across the country including
Mumbai and Varanasi.
"The accused are said to be arrested for allegedly being
involved in a conspiracy of making extortion call to a
Delhi-based businessman. Since they are also to be taken to
different parts of the country for investigation purposes, the
plea of their police remand is allowed," the court said.
Bajrangi, whose real name is Prem Prakash Singh, and his
aide Ayare were arrested yesterday from Mumbai by a joint team
of Delhi Police's Special Cell and Uttar Pradesh Police after
they intercepted his call when he was allegedly trying to
extort money from a Delhi-based businessman.
Public Prosecutor Naveen Kumar sought 14 days remand for
the accused, charging Bajrangi was a gangster of Uttar Pradesh
and was involved in running the extortion racket.
He further submitted the police were yet to recover arms
and ammunition from Bajrangi who is allegedly involved in
more than 10 murder cases across the country including that of
BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh Krishnanand Rai in 2004.
Bajrangi is allegedly involved in 18 cases of murder,
attempt to murder, and robbery in UP and Delhi. A reward of Rs
5 lakh and Rs 2 lakhs have been declared by CBI and UP police
respectively for his arrest.
He had in 1996 allegedly murdered a BJP leader
Ramachandra Singh in Jaunpur in UP.
He was arrested in September 1998 following a gunbattle
but he jumped bail later and went underground.
In 2003, he also allegedly murdered another BJP leader
Anil Rai in Varanasi.
Bajrangi shot at targets while in moving car, says Dadwal
Munna Bajrangi, who was
arrested by Delhi Police, was a "high profile contract killer
whose signature style of killing was to hit his target in a
moving car, police said today.
Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal said the arrests
came following investigations into inputs that Bajrangi was
trying to extort money from a Delhi businessman.
"On systematic analysis of every possible clue related
to his movements, the team realised that Bajrangi is hiding
somewhere in Malad area of Mumbai. A team was sent there
October 21," Dadwal told reporters.
The police team located the apartment where he was
hiding for last several years and at around 2.30 pm they
raided it and caught Shetty.
"He is a very desperate criminal known for his high
profile contract killings. He is learnt to have been a top
level extortionist but no one dared to come forward for fear
of reprisal. Bajrangi's signature style was killing his target
in a moving car," Dadwal said.
Bajrangi was hiding in the city for 2 years
Uttar Pradesh gangster Munna
Bajrangi, arrested by Delhi police from Mumbai, was hiding in
the city for the last two years and had bought a flat at Malad
a year ago, the police said.
A special team of Delhi police, in co-ordination with
their Mumbai counterparts, nabbed Bajrangi from near
Siddhivinayak Tower in suburban Malad last evening.
"Bajrangi was staying with his wife Seema, two children--
Simran and Sameer-- in his Siddhivinayak flat which was
purchased by him last year from a doctor named R Choudhari,
who hails from UP," Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Rakesh
Maria said.
"However, the flat was not transfered in his name. Since
Choudhari had to clear some arrears of the society, the
formalities to transfer the flat had remained incomplete," he
said adding Bajrangi was staying in Mumbai since 2007.
"The doctor was not aware of Bajrangi's antecedents,"
Maria said adding the gangster told neighbours that he was a
businessman and often had to travel a lot.
Six months ago, the city police had inputs that Bajrangi
was staying in Mira Road and Nalasopara areas in neighbouring
Thane district but he could not be traced there, Maria said
adding the "Delhi police had specific inputs that he was in
Malad and took our assistance to nab him yesterday."
Bajrangi, who was staying under a fake name Prem Singh,
was accused of killing BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in UP in
November 2005.
The gangster, wanted in several criminal cases in UP,
Delhi and a few other places, is considered close to Mukhtar
Ansari, Rai's rival and underworld-don-turned Uttar Pradesh
MLA.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, October 30, 2009, 22:37