’Rajan wanted to print fake dollars’

Gangster Santosh Shetty, deported from Bangkok and currently in police custody, revealed that don Chhota Rajan had made plans in 2008 to float sham currency

'Rajan wanted to print fake dollars'

Gangster Santosh Shetty, deported from Bangkok and currently in police custody, revealed that don Chhota Rajan had made plans in 2008 to float sham currency

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Deported gangster Santosh Shetty, in Mumbai Police's custody, is spilling the beans on former mentor, Chhota Rajan, with whom he had worked for over five years.

He told Crime Branch officials that he and Rajan had hatched a plan to print counterfeit US dollars. But before they could forge ahead, they had a dispute over money and split.

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Chhota Rajan and Santosh Shettyu00a0had hatched a plan to print
counterfeit US dollars, but parted ways over a financial dispute

In 2008, Rajan and Shetty had paid Rs 3 crore each to a man called Chinese Dawood, a supplier of the paper required to print counterfeit notes.

But the man insisted on another Rs 3 crore and Rajan asked Shetty to arrange for the cash.

When Shetty told him of his losses in the drug business, Rajan agreed to pay the dough on the condition that Shetty transfer his hotel in Jakarta in the name of one of Rajan's gang members, Balu Dokre.

"Shetty was hurt by this decision, specially as he had saved the don from Chhota Shakeel's gangsters in 2000," a CB officer said.

Meanwhile, Shakeel got wind of the souring relations of the two. "Shakeel then hired Shetty to glean information on Rajan's whereabouts.

He said that once Rajan is eliminated, Shetty would be in charge," the officer added. At the same time, Shetty heard the rumour that Rajan planned to kill him with the aid of Bharat Nepali.

So, in October, 2010, Shetty made a pre-emptive strike, and allegedly bumped off Nepali in a Bangkok hotel.
Shetty was arrested last week in Bangkok and brought to Mumbai.

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