Mumbai: Amidst reports that gangster Bharat Nepali was killed in Thailand, city police on Friday said arrested fugitive don Santosh Shetty claimed to have bumped off Nepali in November 2010 at Pattaya in Thailand.
There were reports that Bhagwant Singh alias Nepali, who is a former member of underworld don Chhota Rajan, was killed in Thailand, but Indian authorities did not confirm it.
"Shetty claimed he had shot dead Nepali in a beach bungalow in Thailand's Pattaya with silenced revolver in November 2010, after he had an argument with him over their associate Vijay Shetty," Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy said.
"Nepali had told Shetty that Vijay Shetty should be bumped off, after which, he and Shetty can share the profits in the business. But Shetty did not agree and started feeling insecure with Nepali, thinking that he may do a similar thing with him as well in future," Roy added.
Nepali and Shettys were allegedly involved in the killing of criminal lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was defending Faheem Ansari in 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Azmi was gunned down in his Kurla's office in February last year and Ansari was acquitted in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case, police said.
Roy said, "Shetty claimed they killed Azmi because he was doing anti-national activities."
Nepali, a former army man, who worked as a driver for Rajan, was wanted by Mumbai Police in around 23 cases of extortion, assault, murder and extortion.
Crime Branch officials of Mumbai police, in co-ordination with Thailand police, nabbed Shetty from his hideout in Bangkok, deported here early this morning before placing him under arrest in a fake passport case, police said.
The three were also allegedly involved in the murder of Rajan henchman Farid Tanasha, who was gunned down in Rajan's stronghold of Tilak Nagar, Chembur in July last year, police said.
Nepali had parted ways with Rajan in 2005 to start his own gang, police said.
Nepali and Shettys then started extorting money from builders and businessmen in the city. Their areas of operation often clashed with Rajan's, they added.
Several victims started complaining that they had to pay extortions to Rajan and Nepali. The hatred snowballed into a big rivalry, with Nepali hitting the headlines more often than his rivals, police said.
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