Chhota Rajan aide held in Pune, handed over to CBI

An alleged aide of gangster Chhota Rajan was arrested by Pune police crime branch officials on Tuesday in a case against him which is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The accused man identified Parmanand Hansraj Thakkar (56), a resident of Tilekar Nagar, Kondhwa Khurd, was handed over to police commissioner of CBI, special crime-2, Mumbai.

“Thakkar was absconding in the case registered in 2015 in Navi Mumbai in which Chota Rajan gang had asked for extortion amount of ₹26 crore. In the same case, the magistrate had sentenced the accused Chhota Rajan, Suresh Shinde, Sumit Mhatre, Ashok Nikam with imprisonment of two years. Sunil Takawale, police inspector, unit-1, and his team got confidential information of Parmanand’s whereabouts and apprehended the accused on Tuesday. There are total six offences against Thakkar,” said Bachchan Singh, deputy commissioner of police, crime, Pune.

Thakkar is a real estate agent who was among five people booked in a case under Section 387, 452, and 34 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for trying to extort a realtor of ₹25 crore in 2015.

The complainant in the case was identified as realtor Nandu Vazekar who owned a piece of land in Market Yard

In 2015, Vazekar was taken to Chembur, Mumbai by Thakkar to meet with Suresh Shamrao Shinde and was connected through a phone call with Rajan who threatened to kill him if he failed to pay ₹25 crore, according to the police.

Subsequently, a case under Section 387, 452, and 34 of Indian Penal Code was registered at Panvel Police station of Navi Mumbai.

The case went to court and four people - Chhota Rajan, Shinde, Ahok Nikam, Sumit Mhatre were sentenced to two years imprisonment and ₹5,000 fine.

However, Thakkar evaded arrest and has a record of six cases in total related to extortion.

The unit 1 of Pune police crime branch are now investigating if Thakkar had been active in Pune as well.