Bada Rajan
Encyclopedia
Rajan Mahadeo Nair popularly known in the Mumbai underworld by his moniker Bada Rajan (literally Big Rajan) was an Indian mobster and underworld don from Mumbai
, who operated from his base in the Tilak Nagar
neighborhood of Chembur
.
Nair
family in Mumbai
, Rajan Nair grew up in the lower middle class locality of Tilaknagar in Chembur
, a suburb in central Mumbai. Nair got involved in a life of petty crime in his childhood and subsequently acquired his nickname, Bada Rajan. In the early seventies, he teamed up with a thug from the nearby Vikhroli
suburb, his namesake Rajan Sadashiv Nikhalje
, also known as "Chhota Rajan" (Little Rajan). They both started selling black market movie tickets at the Sahkar Cinema. Black marketing of cinema tickets was one of the main sources of income for Mumbai gangs between the years 1970 and 1985. It was also during this time that Bada Rajan formed his own gang with Chhota Rajan
as his chief lieutenant. Badda Rajan served as a great mentor to Chhota Rajan
and the two would remain close friends until his death.
, Amar Naik and his brother Ashwin Naik, the Rajan gang operated protection money rackets and also settled financial and land disputes.
When the powerful Tamilian don of Matunga
, Varadarajan Mudaliar
shifted his base to Madras, Bada Rajan and his chief lieutenant, Chhota Rajan, expanded into and took control of his rackets over most of Chembur
. The remaining part was taken over by Sadhu Shetty
, a protege of Mudaliar. Mudaliar controlled the smuggling operations in Mumbai, along with two of the most powerful dons of the Mumbai underworld, Haji Mastan and Karim Lala. He sought assistance from Bada Rajan to protect his territories and neutralise threats from rivals like Karim Lala
and Haji Mastan
. Gradually, they extended their area of influence from Chembur to Ghatkopar
east in northeastern Mumbai.
In 1976, Badda Rajan set up a mandal (group) known as the "Sahyadri Krida Sangh" in his native locality of Tilaknagar. He continued to exercise control over the mandal until his murder. The mandal would later pass over to the control of Chhota Rajan after his death, that he continues to hold on to this day.
The Rajan gang also developed close ties to D-Company
don,
Dawood Ibrahim
. When he was deserted by his former Pathan
allies of the Karim Lala gang, Ibrahim forged a strong alliance with Badda Rajan. In fact, Ibrahim hired Badda Rajan to kill members of the gang, led by Amirzada Nawab Khan and Lala's nephew, Samad Khan, who had also murdered Ibrahim's elder brother, Shabir. The task to assassinate Amirzada was assigned to David Pardesi, an unemployed resident of Tilak Nagar by Bada Rajan. Pardesi successfully killed Amirzada in a daring operation. The operation became an instant legend, immediately changing the underworld equation in Mumbai and and became an integral event to Dawood's ascend as a Don.
Bada Rajan decided to expand his activities by taking control over the blackmarketing operations at Odeon. He made an offer of a 50% partnership to Chandu, which he accepted. In spite of this, however, the next day, Rajan ordered two of his associates to take charge. The duo slapped one of Chandu’s men in front of his entire gang. The move had the desired effect and allowed Bada Rajan’s men to seize control over the blackmarketing operations at Odeon, retaining 100 per cent profit.
This, however, did not sit well with rival don Yeshwant Jadhav and his younger brother Sanjay of Ghatkopar, east. Jadhav's association with gangster Philip Pandhare made him a force to be reckoned with. In the past, Pandhare's men had once stabbed Bada Rajan in a local train, crippling him for some time.
The conflict further escalated when gangsters Domnic, Bada Tambi, Ashok Kunte, Parliya, Kamlakar, Sanjiva Bhosle and Yeda Bala broke away from the Rajan gang and joined hands with Jadhav. Thereafter, a gang of eight members, headed by Chhota Rajan, set out in autorickshaws looking for Domnic, who was hiding at Odeon. Rajan and his associates were interrupted by Bhogilal at the gate when they tried to barge into the hall to kill Dominic. Rajan repeatedly stabbed him and was followed by other members. They even injured police constables Ramchandra Khare and Ghoraknath Sakpal in the ensuing melee.
Within the next two years, seven gangsters were killed in the resulting gang war between the two gangs. Finally, Badda Rajan sought the help of Varadarajan Mudaliar
. He used his power to threaten Jadhav. Desperate, he turned for help to a gangster named Abdul Kunju.
Aware of Rajan's enormous power in the areas between Ghatkopar and Matunga, Kunju realized that he could not fight the Rajan gang on his own. Therefore, he allied himself with Badda Rajan's rival, Philip Pandhare. Pandhare’s gang was further strengthened when Vijay Sawant and Francis Xavier, also known as "Shorty", from Pestom Sagar enlisted with them.
After Amirzada Nawab Khan was assassinated outside the sessions court premises on 6 September 1983 by Bada Rajan’s hitman, David Pardesi. Kunju switched sides and allied himself with Kalia Anthony and Mahesh Dolakia of the Karim Lala gang to murder Bada Rajan.
Kunju's neighbor, an autorickshaw driver named Chandrashekar Safalika, who was looking to make Rs 50 lakhs for his sister’s wedding, was hired for the job. He was introduced to hotelier,
Mahesh Dholakia at Caesar Palace. Dholakia offered around Rs 50 lakh as "supari" (Murder contract fees) and told him that he would get the entire money if he succeeded in killing Rajan. Safalika left with only Rs. 1 lakh. The next day, Kunju provided Safalika with a revolver, and converted an isolated spot near Vikhroli Park site into a firing range. He was trained for the next 15 days by Ramesh Pujari, Mangesh More and Francis a.k.a "Kaliya Anthony" (Blackie Anthony).
In a daring operation, Safalika dressed as a naval cadet with his gun hidden in the cavity of a thick book, stalked Bada Rajan outside the Esplanade court and shot him dead. The hit was carried out on 21 September 1983, exactly 15 days after Amirzada's murder. Safalika was caught on the spot, but managed to escape while he was being escorted to the Thane
prison.
It was well known that Abdul Kunju was a cricket enthusiast and often managed a good-sized crowd to come and watch him play. This gave Chhota Rajan the opportunity to use Kunju's own passion against him. During one such match in 1985, as Kunju hit a boundary, three young gangsters dressed in T-shirts and sneakers, including Sanjay Raggad, Sadhu Shetty
and Chhota Rajan himself, entered the arena on the pretext of retrieving the ball. After doing so, they walked right up to Kunju, pulled out their guns and shot him dead at point blank range. Another report suggests that Chota Rajan sent Sanjay Raggad and Vijay to shoot down Kunju when he was watching a volleyball match. On spotting the two assailants. Kunju fled the match venue with the duo in pursuit. Eventually, Raggad and Vijay sprayed an array of bullets into Kunju's body that left him dead.
After Kunju's death, Dolakia went back on his word and refused to deliver the remaining 49 lakhs, leaving the now fugitive Safalika helpless and on his own. In desperation, he turned to the Thane-based goon Abdul Majid for help. Majid invited him over for a treat at a bar in Thane, which in actuality was owned by Sadhu Shetty. Safalika got very drunk and remained at the bar in the same night for shelter. In the meanwhile, Shetty tipped off Chhotta Rajan to his whereabouts and Safalika was woken up at around 4 a.m. by Rajan's henchmen. He was then driven in a Fiat car to Dawood Ibrahim’s younger brother, Noora’s hideout at Nagpada
. There he was viciously interrogated, tortured and subsequently murdered the next day.
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, who operated from his base in the Tilak Nagar
Tilak Nagar
Tilak Nagar , Delhi is one of the suburban areas in West Delhi. It is approximately seventeen kilometers from the New Delhi Railway Station and twenty-two kilometers from the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Tilak Nagar is connected by the Delhi Metro to Connaught Place, making it easy for...
neighborhood of Chembur
Chembur
Chembur is a suburban neighbourhood in eastern Mumbai, India. It is 22 km from downtown Mumbai and 20 km from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport...
.
Early years
Born into a MalayaliMalayali
Malayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
family in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Rajan Nair grew up in the lower middle class locality of Tilaknagar in Chembur
Chembur
Chembur is a suburban neighbourhood in eastern Mumbai, India. It is 22 km from downtown Mumbai and 20 km from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport...
, a suburb in central Mumbai. Nair got involved in a life of petty crime in his childhood and subsequently acquired his nickname, Bada Rajan. In the early seventies, he teamed up with a thug from the nearby Vikhroli
Vikhroli
Vikhroli is a suburb of Mumbai. The suburb has a railway station by the same name on the Central Railway line. The station was built just before India's independence in 1947 to cater to the needs of the sprawling Godrej Complex in the vicinity...
suburb, his namesake Rajan Sadashiv Nikhalje
Chhota Rajan
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan is the boss of a major crime syndicate based in India. He is a former key aide and lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair, also known as Bada Rajan . Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's...
, also known as "Chhota Rajan" (Little Rajan). They both started selling black market movie tickets at the Sahkar Cinema. Black marketing of cinema tickets was one of the main sources of income for Mumbai gangs between the years 1970 and 1985. It was also during this time that Bada Rajan formed his own gang with Chhota Rajan
Chhota Rajan
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan is the boss of a major crime syndicate based in India. He is a former key aide and lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair, also known as Bada Rajan . Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's...
as his chief lieutenant. Badda Rajan served as a great mentor to Chhota Rajan
Chhota Rajan
Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan is the boss of a major crime syndicate based in India. He is a former key aide and lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim. Starting as a petty thief and bootlegger working for Rajan Nair, also known as Bada Rajan . Chhota Rajan took over the reins of Bada Rajan's...
and the two would remain close friends until his death.
Underworld rackets and alliances
From black marketing movie tickets, the duo branched out into petty crime and acquired a feared reputation. Like the other gangs headed by Arun GawliArun Gawli
Arun Gulab Gawli , known to his followers as "Daddy", is an alleged criminal turned politician from Mumbai, India. He is based at Dagdi Chawl in Byculla- Saat Rasta, Mumbai...
, Amar Naik and his brother Ashwin Naik, the Rajan gang operated protection money rackets and also settled financial and land disputes.
When the powerful Tamilian don of Matunga
Matunga
Matunga is a district located in the central part of Mumbai. It is a railway station on the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. This station is called Matunga on the Central railway line, Matunga Road on the Western line and King's Circle, on the Harbour Line...
, Varadarajan Mudaliar
Varadarajan Mudaliar
Varadarajan Muniswami Mudaliar, also known as Vardhabhai was a Tamil from Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, who rose to be a mafia don in Mumbai, India. Most active in the 1970s, he was the link in the underworld history between old time mafia men such as Haji Mastan.Varadarajan started as a porter in...
shifted his base to Madras, Bada Rajan and his chief lieutenant, Chhota Rajan, expanded into and took control of his rackets over most of Chembur
Chembur
Chembur is a suburban neighbourhood in eastern Mumbai, India. It is 22 km from downtown Mumbai and 20 km from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport...
. The remaining part was taken over by Sadhu Shetty
Sadhu Shetty
Sadanand Nathu Shetty , better known by his nickname Sadhu Shetty, was a notorious Indian extortionist, criminal-politician and underworld don, based in Mumbai.-Varadarajan Mudaliar gang:...
, a protege of Mudaliar. Mudaliar controlled the smuggling operations in Mumbai, along with two of the most powerful dons of the Mumbai underworld, Haji Mastan and Karim Lala. He sought assistance from Bada Rajan to protect his territories and neutralise threats from rivals like Karim Lala
Karim Lala
Karim Lala , born as Abdul Karim Sher Khan in Kunar province of Afghanistan, was popularly known as the 'don of Mumbai' in India. He is widely recognized as the founder and pioneer of the Indian mafia in the Mumbai area...
and Haji Mastan
Haji Mastan
Haji Mastan Mirza, popularly known as Haji Mastan or Bawa, was a Bombay gangster and smuggler in the 1960s and 1970s. Mastan became the first celebrity gangster of the city, expanding his clout in the film industry. As Mastan's influence in Bollywood grew, he began to produce films...
. Gradually, they extended their area of influence from Chembur to Ghatkopar
Ghatkopar
Ghatkopar is a suburban neighbourhood of eastern Mumbai. It is also a railway station serviced by Central Railway line of the Mumbai suburban railway.-History:...
east in northeastern Mumbai.
In 1976, Badda Rajan set up a mandal (group) known as the "Sahyadri Krida Sangh" in his native locality of Tilaknagar. He continued to exercise control over the mandal until his murder. The mandal would later pass over to the control of Chhota Rajan after his death, that he continues to hold on to this day.
The Rajan gang also developed close ties to D-Company
D-Company
D-Company is a term coined by the media for the criminal organization and terrorist group headed by wanted terrorist leader and crime boss Dawood Ibrahim....
don,
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
. When he was deserted by his former Pathan
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
allies of the Karim Lala gang, Ibrahim forged a strong alliance with Badda Rajan. In fact, Ibrahim hired Badda Rajan to kill members of the gang, led by Amirzada Nawab Khan and Lala's nephew, Samad Khan, who had also murdered Ibrahim's elder brother, Shabir. The task to assassinate Amirzada was assigned to David Pardesi, an unemployed resident of Tilak Nagar by Bada Rajan. Pardesi successfully killed Amirzada in a daring operation. The operation became an instant legend, immediately changing the underworld equation in Mumbai and and became an integral event to Dawood's ascend as a Don.
Gang war with Yashwant Jadhav
By early 1982, Bada Rajan and Chhota Rajan had firmly entrenched themselves in the racket of selling black market movie tickets near Sahakar Theatre in Tilaknagar. The racket of black market tickets near Odeon Theatre was firmly under the control of Chandu, who managed the racket with the help of his aides, Ratna and Antu from Kirol Village in Vidya Vihar. He maintained his control through the use of enforcers Babya Khopde and Lal Singh Chauhan. Since most of the shows were full for at least the first three days, the entire racket was a gold mine for the operators.Bada Rajan decided to expand his activities by taking control over the blackmarketing operations at Odeon. He made an offer of a 50% partnership to Chandu, which he accepted. In spite of this, however, the next day, Rajan ordered two of his associates to take charge. The duo slapped one of Chandu’s men in front of his entire gang. The move had the desired effect and allowed Bada Rajan’s men to seize control over the blackmarketing operations at Odeon, retaining 100 per cent profit.
This, however, did not sit well with rival don Yeshwant Jadhav and his younger brother Sanjay of Ghatkopar, east. Jadhav's association with gangster Philip Pandhare made him a force to be reckoned with. In the past, Pandhare's men had once stabbed Bada Rajan in a local train, crippling him for some time.
The conflict further escalated when gangsters Domnic, Bada Tambi, Ashok Kunte, Parliya, Kamlakar, Sanjiva Bhosle and Yeda Bala broke away from the Rajan gang and joined hands with Jadhav. Thereafter, a gang of eight members, headed by Chhota Rajan, set out in autorickshaws looking for Domnic, who was hiding at Odeon. Rajan and his associates were interrupted by Bhogilal at the gate when they tried to barge into the hall to kill Dominic. Rajan repeatedly stabbed him and was followed by other members. They even injured police constables Ramchandra Khare and Ghoraknath Sakpal in the ensuing melee.
Within the next two years, seven gangsters were killed in the resulting gang war between the two gangs. Finally, Badda Rajan sought the help of Varadarajan Mudaliar
Varadarajan Mudaliar
Varadarajan Muniswami Mudaliar, also known as Vardhabhai was a Tamil from Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, who rose to be a mafia don in Mumbai, India. Most active in the 1970s, he was the link in the underworld history between old time mafia men such as Haji Mastan.Varadarajan started as a porter in...
. He used his power to threaten Jadhav. Desperate, he turned for help to a gangster named Abdul Kunju.
Assassination
Abdul Kunju had a bitter and long standing enmity with Badda Rajan. It all started when Bada Rajan sent his men to assault some youth in Shell Colony, Chembur, for harassing a woman typist. This incident developed into a deadly rivalry with Kunju. Both Kunju and Rajan had sworn to kill each other.Aware of Rajan's enormous power in the areas between Ghatkopar and Matunga, Kunju realized that he could not fight the Rajan gang on his own. Therefore, he allied himself with Badda Rajan's rival, Philip Pandhare. Pandhare’s gang was further strengthened when Vijay Sawant and Francis Xavier, also known as "Shorty", from Pestom Sagar enlisted with them.
After Amirzada Nawab Khan was assassinated outside the sessions court premises on 6 September 1983 by Bada Rajan’s hitman, David Pardesi. Kunju switched sides and allied himself with Kalia Anthony and Mahesh Dolakia of the Karim Lala gang to murder Bada Rajan.
Kunju's neighbor, an autorickshaw driver named Chandrashekar Safalika, who was looking to make Rs 50 lakhs for his sister’s wedding, was hired for the job. He was introduced to hotelier,
Mahesh Dholakia at Caesar Palace. Dholakia offered around Rs 50 lakh as "supari" (Murder contract fees) and told him that he would get the entire money if he succeeded in killing Rajan. Safalika left with only Rs. 1 lakh. The next day, Kunju provided Safalika with a revolver, and converted an isolated spot near Vikhroli Park site into a firing range. He was trained for the next 15 days by Ramesh Pujari, Mangesh More and Francis a.k.a "Kaliya Anthony" (Blackie Anthony).
In a daring operation, Safalika dressed as a naval cadet with his gun hidden in the cavity of a thick book, stalked Bada Rajan outside the Esplanade court and shot him dead. The hit was carried out on 21 September 1983, exactly 15 days after Amirzada's murder. Safalika was caught on the spot, but managed to escape while he was being escorted to the Thane
Thane
Thane , is a city in Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, northeastern suburb of Mumbai at the head of the Thane Creek. It is the administrative headquarters of Thane district. On 16 April 1853, G.I.P...
prison.
Retribution for assassination
The murder of Bada Rajan dealt a devastating blow to his gang. His right hand man and successor, Chhota Rajan was shattered at the loss of his mentor and swore retribution against the assassins.It was well known that Abdul Kunju was a cricket enthusiast and often managed a good-sized crowd to come and watch him play. This gave Chhota Rajan the opportunity to use Kunju's own passion against him. During one such match in 1985, as Kunju hit a boundary, three young gangsters dressed in T-shirts and sneakers, including Sanjay Raggad, Sadhu Shetty
Sadhu Shetty
Sadanand Nathu Shetty , better known by his nickname Sadhu Shetty, was a notorious Indian extortionist, criminal-politician and underworld don, based in Mumbai.-Varadarajan Mudaliar gang:...
and Chhota Rajan himself, entered the arena on the pretext of retrieving the ball. After doing so, they walked right up to Kunju, pulled out their guns and shot him dead at point blank range. Another report suggests that Chota Rajan sent Sanjay Raggad and Vijay to shoot down Kunju when he was watching a volleyball match. On spotting the two assailants. Kunju fled the match venue with the duo in pursuit. Eventually, Raggad and Vijay sprayed an array of bullets into Kunju's body that left him dead.
After Kunju's death, Dolakia went back on his word and refused to deliver the remaining 49 lakhs, leaving the now fugitive Safalika helpless and on his own. In desperation, he turned to the Thane-based goon Abdul Majid for help. Majid invited him over for a treat at a bar in Thane, which in actuality was owned by Sadhu Shetty. Safalika got very drunk and remained at the bar in the same night for shelter. In the meanwhile, Shetty tipped off Chhotta Rajan to his whereabouts and Safalika was woken up at around 4 a.m. by Rajan's henchmen. He was then driven in a Fiat car to Dawood Ibrahim’s younger brother, Noora’s hideout at Nagpada
Nagpada
Nagpada is an area in South Mumbai. It is a mostly Muslim inhabited area. Nag is the Marathi word for cobra. A Nag temple still exists at this place. It is Muslim-dominated, so few people visit the temple, but on special occasions, Nag-Panchami people visit the temple. It is a crowded area, and...
. There he was viciously interrogated, tortured and subsequently murdered the next day.
In popular culture
- The 1991 Malayalam film Abhimanyu was inspired by the life of Bada Rajan; and is loosely based on his biography. In the film, MohanlalMohanlalMohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
plays a MalayaliMalayaliMalayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
immigrant who becomes a Mumbai underworld don and is eventually shot dead.