Court extends judicial custody of Chhota Rajan till Dec 15

New Delhi: The judicial custody of underworld don Chhota Rajan, who was arrested by CBI in an alleged fake passport case, was on Thursday extended till December 15 by a Delhi court.

Rajan was produced before special CBI judge Vinod Kumar through video conferencing from Tihar jail during a closed door proceeding and according to court sources, the judge extended his judicial custody till December 15.

He was not produced physically in the court for the remand proceedings after the CBI had moved an application, saying due to serious threat perception to Rajan from his rivals, it would be "extremely unsafe" to produce him in the open court.

Rajan was sent to high-security Tihar prison in judicial custody on November 19 in connection with the case.

Deported after being on the run for 27 years, the 55-year-old gangster, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, was remanded in judicial custody in connection with the fake passport case.

Rajan, once a close aide of fugitive terrorist and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, has been brought to the country to face trial in over 70 cases of murder, extortion and drug smuggling in Delhi and Mumbai.

After his arrest in Bali on October 25, India had pressed for his early deportation.