Chhota Rajan deported from Bali; to return to India tomorrow

Bali, Nov 5: Underworld don Chhota Rajan was on Thursday deported to India and is expected to reach Delhi early morning on Friday, 27 years after he had fled the country in the face of numerous cases of murder, extortion and drug smuggling against him.

The special aircraft taking 55-year-old Rajan, who was arrested here upon arrival from Australia on October 25, took off from the Ngurah Rai International at around 10.15 pm local time (1945 hours IST), an official said.

Ahead of his arrival in India, Maharashtra government made a surprise announcement of handing over all the cases related to the underworld don to the CBI as the agency had expertise in handling such cases.

Rajan, after his arrest, had expressed reservation over plans to lodge him in a Mumbai jail, fearing that his archrival and India's most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim may target him there.

His deportation was deferred by a day as the international airport in Bali was shut down due to spewing of volcanic ash from a nearby mountain.

PTI