by Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 13: Santosh Shetty, who has been reportedly running an independent gang after parting away from Chhota Rajan in 2004, was arrested in Bangkok and deported to Mumbai.
He was brought to Mumbai International Airport on Saturday, August 12.
He was wanted by Mumbai police in several cases including murder, extortion and blackmailing.
A police official said that Shetty was involved in cases of extortion, smuggling, kidnapping and contract-killing.
Shetty is suspected in the February 2009 killing of lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was representing suspects in the serial train blasts, the November 2010 killing of Rajan henchman Farid Tanasha and the October 2010 killing of gangster Bharat Nepali in a Bangkok hotel.
The arrest of Shetty, alias Anna, occurred on Thursday night in a beer bar after he got into a brawl with a few businessmen in Bangkok.
A source in Bangkok said the don gave the police a fake passport at the bar, before being booked for assault. The police later raided his home and found his real passport. After checking their records, they found that he was wanted by the Interpol because of crimes committed in Mumbai .
Shetty's arrest could be a major blow to the underworld because, of late, many of Rajan's foot soldiers have joined Shetty, making the latter's gang one of the strongest in Mumbai.
After splitting with Rajan in 2004, Shetty declared war on his former mentor, vowing to end his criminal empire and replace it with his own. To this end, he formed a gang called SS Syndicate .
Although Shetty has been a member of the underworld for at least two decades, he came to the limelight only after the Tanasha murder.