A special CBI court operating in Chennai has handed a 7-year sentence of rigorous imprisonment to underworld figure Chhota Rajan for procuring an official Indian passport using a fake identity and forged documentation. Alongside the prison term, the court ordered him to pay a penalty fine of ₹55,000. Rajan, who has historically operated under aliases including Vijaya Kadam, Rajendra, and Nana, was convicted following a lengthy legal procedure spanning over two decades. The convict is presently incarcerated inside Delhi's Tihar Jail, where he continues to serve a separate sentence of life imprisonment.
Forged Submissions Made to Regional Passport Office
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) initially opened a formal probe into the matter on March 19, 2002. Investigations established that Chhota Rajan systematically deceived the Regional Passport Office located in Chennai. By utilizing fictitious identity credentials and fabricated paperwork, he fraudulently obtained a legitimate Indian passport.
Detailed findings filed by the CBI revealed that the convict submitted his application under the assumed persona of "Vijaya Kadam." To facilitate the fraud, he attached several falsified records, including a forged school transfer certificate, a fake ration card, and a demand draft (DD), presenting them to passport officials as genuine evidence of his identity, age, and address.
Charge-Sheet Timeline and Verification of Real Identity
Investigative efforts by the CBI conclusively determined that the individual posing as "Vijaya Kadam" was in fact Mumbai resident Rajendra, also known as Nana or Chhota Rajan, son of Sadashiv. He had purposely misrepresented his demographic background and permanent residence by relying on manipulated records to secure government documentation.
Following the conclusion of its inquiry, the CBI filed a formal charge-sheet against Chhota Rajan on January 22, 2004. After exhaustive court hearings, the special CBI court in Chennai found him guilty of criminal offenses involving cheating, forgery, cheating by impersonation, and using falsified documents to obtain an official passport, resulting in the 7-year prison sentence and ₹55,000 fine.
Underworld Origins, Dawood Split, and Extradition from Bali
Born Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, Chhota Rajan rose to prominence as a major figure within the Mumbai underworld. For many years, he served as a key associate of Dawood Ibrahim. However, following the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, the two criminal figures severed ties, triggering a prolonged and violent gang war between rival syndicates.
After years of evading law enforcement internationally, Chhota Rajan was detained in Bali, Indonesia, in October 2015. Following his arrest, Indian law enforcement agencies coordinated his extradition back to India. Since his return, he has faced multiple criminal trials and is currently serving a life sentence at Tihar Jail in Delhi.
