Chhota Rajan found guilty in 2001 Mumbai hotelier Jaya Shetty murder case; what we know so far

Special Judge AM Patil, presiding over cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), pronounced the judgement, holding Rajan responsible for orchestrating the killing.

Infamous underworld don Chhota Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, was on Thursday (May 30) convicted in the 2001 murder case of hotelier Jaya Shetty. A Special Court in Mumbai delivered the verdict, finding the gangster guilty under the Indian Penal Code provisions for murder.

Special Judge AM Patil, presiding over cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), pronounced the judgement, holding Rajan responsible for orchestrating the killing.

Jaya Shetty, the owner of the Golden Crown Hotel in Gamdevi, central Mumbai, was murdered on May 4, 2001. Shetty, who also owned four other restaurants in Mumbai, including one on Grant Road, had been facing extortion threats from Chhota Rajan's gang.

In response to these threats, the Maharashtra police had initially provided Shetty with security. However, two months before the attack, Shetty himself requested the withdrawal of his security cover. On the fateful day, two alleged members of Rajan's gang shot Shetty dead on the first floor of his hotel.

Following the murder, Hemant Pujari, a close aide of Chhota Rajan and a wanted suspect in the case, allegedly called the hotel and issued further threats to Shetty's family, demanding extortion money and warning of more violence.

Chhota Rajan is a notorious figure in Maharashtra's criminal underworld, facing charges in approximately 70 cases, including the high-profile 2011 murder of journalist J Dey. He was arrested at Bali airport in Indonesia on October 25, 2015, and subsequently deported to India, where he has since been held accountable for various crimes.

The conviction in Jaya Shetty's murder case marks another significant development in the legal proceedings against Chhota Rajan, reinforcing the ongoing efforts to bring the notorious gangster to justice.