One Shetty down, one more to go

Crime Branch officials prepare to close the net on Vijay Shetty, whom they could not arrest with don Santosh Shetty on their Bangkok visit, as they did not have approval

After laying their hands on fugitive don Santosh Shetty, Mumbai police is now gearing up to close in on his close aide Vijay Shetty, the second-in-command in the Shetty gang hierarchy.
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They had to leave the lieutenant alone while on their recent visit to Bangkok to arrest Santosh, as their hands were tied by the law of the land.

According to Crime Branch sources, while the team was in Bangkok to bring back Santosh, who had been arrested by the local police for a fake passport, they came across vital inputs indicating that his aide was actively helping run the don's empire.
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But the cops could not do much as they had orders only to bring back Santosh during their recent trip. Moreover, the rules and regulations of the foreign country had stopped them from arresting him.

"Santosh was the mastermind behind several crimes, therefore it was a must to catch him.
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But had we received the Bangkok government's approval and the opportunity, we would have arrested Vijay as well," said a Crime Branch official, on condition of anonymity. "Arresting Santosh was our priority as he is involved in serious crimes in India," he added.

"Had we got the chance to arrest Vijay, we would have. That would be one of the best crackdowns, as two gangsters would have been arrested in one fell swoop," said a source from the Crime Branch.

Incapacitated
However, officials said that even with the lone arrest, the SS Syndicate, Santosh's gang, would not be able to function for a long time, as Santosh is the brain behind most of the gang's activities.

A resident of the central suburb of Vikhroli, Vijay used to work at a bar in Sakinaka where he supplied bargirls to customers. He was arrested in mid-1990s on charges of murder. During his jail-term, he came in touch with Chhota Rajan's men.

Vijay came under the scare more fully after the murder of lawyer Shahid Azmi and gangster Farid Tanasha. Vijay and Nepali had allegedly arranged Rs 9 lakh to bump off Tanasha. Reportedly, he is well connected in south India and deftly recruits members for the gang.