The Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday registered a case against gangster Chhota Rajan in connection with the murder of Hanif Kadawala, an accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, PTI reported. He is also believed to have supplied actor Sanjay Dutt with an AK-47 rifle.
The CBI took over the investigation into the murder case on reference from the Maharashtra government, according to officials. Guru Satam, a member of Rajan's gang, and others were also named in the case, registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act. The bureau will begin its investigation based on the FIR lodged in the case by the state police, according to norms.
The weapons Kadawala had transported from the Gujarat coast to Mumbai (then Bombay) had been used in the serial blasts in the city in 1993, in which more than 250 people were killed after a series of 12 car bombs exploded. Kadawala was arrested in 1993 but released on bail five years later. He was killed in his office in 2001, and the Mumbai Police believe it was orchestrated by Rajan, who was deported to India last year after getting arrested in Bali, Indonesia.
Kadawala, along with an accomplice, had allegedly hidden the weapons in Dutt's garage, but the actor had denied having any knowledge of a conspiracy related to the blasts. He was acquitted of all charges under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in the case.
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