Indian team arrives in Indonesia; special commandos escorting team; Rajan meets Indian consular in Jakarta.
New Delhi/Bali : Finally a joint team of the CBI and the police has arrived in Indonesia to seek deportation of underworld don Chhota Rajan, two days after India wrote a letter to the authorities there for his return to face trial in various criminal cases registered against him. With that, the countdown has started for the return of Rajan, who was nabbed at Bali airport on his arrival from Australia last month. It is understood that he will be ferried to New Delhi in a special plane in view of the threat perception involved. The Indian team comprises CBI sleuths and Mumbai and Delhi Police officials; accompanying them are the elite commandos of the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.
Incidentally, First Secretary (Consular) Sanjeev Kumar Agrawal at the Indian embassy in Jakarta on Sunday met Rajan for nearly half-an-hour at the detention centre. This is for the first time an Indian official has met him in prison. The 55-year-old underworld don was arrested in Bali on the basis of a Red Corner Notice from Interpol and following a tip off by Australian authorities to the police in Indonesia.
Since the extradition treaty between the two countries is yet to be ratified – a process that is likely to be completed during the ensuing visit to Indonesia of Vice President Ahmed Ansari — the Indian authorities have a Plan ‘B’ ready to facilitate Rajan’s homecoming. The plan ‘B’ is to invoke a legal assistance agreement between the two countries for deportation, if the extradition is likely to get delayed due to the legalities involved. For this, the Indian authorities only have to convince their Indonesian counterparts about Rajan’s identity and his criminal record. However, India has to hasten the entire process as there is a 20-day cap on Rajan’s detention, after which he must be freed if Indians do not furnish the necessary evidence.
Incidentally, special police commandos have been provided for round the clock security of the Indian officials who arrived here. The CBI, which is the nodal agency for Interpol in India, will hand over Rajan’s custody to Mumbai Police once he is brought back. Mumbai Police have the maximum number of cases registered against Rajan, including 20 for murder, four cases under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, one under Prevention of Terrorism Act and over 20 cases under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.
Rajan was a close aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim at one point of time but they split after the 1993 Mumbai blasts. Former officials of the security agencies have said that Rajan could have surrendered in the face of poor health and threats from Dawood and his top lieutenant Chhota Shakeel.
