Santosh Shetty was planning to bump off Rajan

After three days of intense interrogations, arrested gangster Santosh Shetty revealed that he was plotting to eliminate his one-time mentor Chhota Rajan with help from gangster Chhota Shakeel, who is in hiding in Pakistan.

Shetty was deported to India from Bangkok on August 12.
He reportedly also told the police that though in Bangkok, he was in contact with almost all the fugitive gangsters from Mumbai, including Ravi Pujari, Hemant Pujari and Bunty Pandey.

“These gangsters would approach Shetty whenever they needed any help,” said a police officer on condition of anonymity.

Shetty has reportedly told the police that he was in touch with fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim’s right-hand man Shakeel and was planning to eliminate Rajan.

Once a close aide of Rajan, Shetty had split ways with him after a spat over money in 2005.

According to sources, Shetty and Rajan had planned to make counterfeit US currency.

“They got in touch with a counterfeiter, who demanded Rs6 crore for the job. Rajan agreed to pay Rs3 crore, but Shetty said that he did not have that kind of money,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

Rajan asked Shetty to hand over a restaurant in Indonesia which was partly owned by him. “This suggestion soured relations between him and Shetty,” the officer added.

Shetty then started his own gang and soon joined hands with Bharat Nepali and Vijay (Viju) Shetty.

According to sources, Shetty used to often travel to the Middle East, Europe and the UK, where he reportedly met members of the Shakeel gang to plans ways to bump off Rajan.

In fact, Shetty had played a major role in helping Rajan escape a near-fatal attack in Bangkok in 2002.

“When Shakeel’s men attacked Rajan, Shetty and Nepali rescued him. They took Rajan to Cambodia and ensured he got proper medical attention,” said a retired Mumbai crime branch officer.

According to the police, in the last five years, Shetty has created a niche for himself in the underworld.

“He enjoys a unique distinction of being well-educated, polished and fluent in English. This gives him an edge over other gangsters, who are not so well-educated,” the officer added.