India beats Pakistan in wresting shooter’s custody

MUMBAI: The last minute efforts of the Mumbai crime branch officials and the prompt move by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yielded desired results with the Thai authorities assuring India to hand over Chhota Shakeel aide Muzakkir Mudassar alias Munna Jhingada though Pakistan had claimed his custody.
Jhingada was arrested by the Thai police on charges of attempt to kill fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan in 2000.In the firing, Rajan escaped but his aide, Rohit Verma, was killed. Jhingada, with associates Rashid Malbari and Gurpeet Singh Bullar, was arrested and he was sent to jail for eight years.
India and Pakistan had been at loggerheads over the gangster since 2011, when the authorities there applied to Thai officials, asking for Jhingada, who they claimed was a Pakistani. The officials even submitted allegedly forged papers, including a Pakistani passport.
But to foil their attempt, Mumbai crime branch inspectors Shalini Sharma and Sudhir Dalvi on Wednesday left for Bangkok with papers to get his custody. "MEA had told us to be ready with the documents as Jhingada’s conviction will be over this week and he will be released," said Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime).
According to a source, had India not sent their requisition, along with documents including Jhingada’s background, finger prints, red corner notice and past criminal cases, on time, Thai police would have handed over his custody to Pakistan on March 9. But crime branch and MEA convinced Thai officials through the embassy that Jhingada was Indian and the papers produced by Pakistan were fake.
A source said fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim might have been behind forging the documents as Jhingada had risked his life to kill Dawood rival Rajan. Allegedly at the behest of Dawood’s lieutenant Chhota Shakeel, Jhingada went to Bangkok to kill Rajan. "If he is deported to India, Rajan may kill him and Dawood does not want to be accused of not protecting his close aides. This is a blow to Dawood," said the source.
Jhingada entered the underworld in 1997, when he came in contact with Shakeel aide Malbari.