ABU SAWANT, a close confident of gangster Chhota Rajan is said to be the manager of the gang who looks after the gang's financial affairs ranging from collection of extortion money to distribution of monthly pay off of gang members and their advocates in city.

Sawant, who is also known as manager of the Rajan gang, was the only gang member loyal to the don after his many aides like late O P Singh, Hemant Pujari, Ezaj Lakdawala, Ravi Pujari, Balu Dokre, Bharat Nepali and others split away to form their own gangs. Sawant has around five criminal cases pending against him, including one under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act ( MCOCA) in which Rajan's wife Sujata Nikhalje alias Nani was arrested for money laundering.

Sawant, son of an estate agent, came in contact with Rajan in 2000 while settling a property dispute at Tilak Nagar. Till 2005, Sawant was in Mumbai and was controlling the gang by arranging finances, threatening builders, influencing officials and taking care of the gang's families. An officer tipped him off about plans to arrest him and Sawant fled to  Dubai.

It's a major jolt to Rajan as his key gang members in Mumbai are in jail for the murder of journalist J Dey and Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar's driver Arif Sayyed Bael. Rajan gang members D K Rao, Umaid Ur Rahman, Rohit Tangappa, Joseph Paulson and Vinod Asrani are in Arthur Road, Thane and Taloja jails.

Fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan's close aide Santosh Abu Sawant is believed to have been shot at by two persons in  Jakarta, capital of  Indonesia, on Thursday. In Jan 2013, there were reports that he was shot at in a Jakarta in Indonesia.

A highly placed source said that Sawant, who is in his mid-40s, was rushed to a local hospital by his friends with at least three bullet injuries and was admitted to the critical care unit. Underworld sources said that Vijay Shetty, partner of former Rajan aide Santosh Shetty, could be behind the firing.

Though it became the talking point among gang members in the city, the Mumbai police declined to confirm or deny the incident. There were also reports that Rajan had reached the hospital in Jakarta. Sawant had helped Rajan in 2001 when his rival Chhota Shakeel's henchmen had shot him in  Bangkok in which Rajan's two men, including Rohit Verma, were killed. It was Sawant and Santosh Shetty who risked their lives and arranged Rajan's escape from the hospital.

Jul 07 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Security alert: Drone hovers near TISS, BARC  Ahmed Ali  Mumbai:    An unidentified drone hovering around 20m above the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Trombay on Monday afternoon triggered a security alert as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, which is on the terror hit-list, is located nearby.The incident comes more than a month after a pilot alerted the Air Traffic Centre on sighting parachute-like objects over the airport. On May 26, Dharmanandan Diamond Pvt Ltd, a Surat-based diamond firm, released helium balloons for promotional merchandise to mark a cricket tournament at the Air India ground, which is adjacent to the runway near the old Kalina airport. Police arrested two men, including the event organizer, in the case. Sources said that around 12.30pm, unidentified persons flew the drone at a height of 20m for few minutes in the area and then fled in a waiting private car. A professor from TISS, who was passing by, noticed the drone and immediately alerted the police control room. The professor, who is now the prime witness in the case, has recorded the incident. He has handed over the video footage to police. “We are examining the video clips. Prima facie, it appears that it may be some event management firm practising a videoshoot as nowadays more and more people are engaging event organizers with drone cameras,“ said deputy commissioner of police (zone 6) Sangramsingh Nishandar. Joint commissioner of police (law and order) Deven Bharti said, “Despite a ban, some event organizers use drones for shoots without prior permission. We have been regularly informing event organizers that they should take permission from the civil aviation and the police. We will definitely catch the culprits in this case and take strict action.“   

Jul 05 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai) Who will head Rajan gang? Aides lock horns  Ahmed Ali    Squabbling Men Lodged In Different Jails While gangster Chhota Rajan is on the run from his rivals, his foot soldiers are busy fighting to gain supremacy over the gang. If sources in the underworld are to be believed, Rajan aides--Umaid-urRahman and D K Rao--have cross swords over control of the gang's operations in Mumbai.Currently , Rahman (30) is facing trial in the killing of Iqbal Kaskar's bodyguard Arif Bael in Nagpada, which is considered to be international terrorist Dawood Ibrahim's fief. There have been a spate of incidents in Taloja penitentiary after which Rahman was shifted to Arthur Road jail. D K Rao still remains in Taloja jail. “The friction was palpable.They couldn't stand each other and start abusing when they come face to face. Some of the inmates have taken sides and this has become a worry for the police escorts,“ said a source. The crime branch has written to prison authorities to increase vigilance. Squabbles between gangsters behind bars are not new. In late 2000s, the authorities had to house gang members in separate prisons due to infighting. To worsen matters, rival gangs are trying to lure Rahman into their fold. Dons Chhota Shakeel and Ravi Pujari have made a plum offer to the Chhota Rajan aide. “Rahman has turned them down as he is loyal to his mentor Rajan. He also aspires to start his own gang in the future,“ said an underworld watcher. Although he is lodged behind bars, Rahman has become a cause for worry . “We are concerned as rival gangs are wooing Rahman. We are watching and hope that Rahman does not become another fugitive gangster,“ said an IPS officer.