Though the Maharashtra government has decided to hand over all cases against Rajendra Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Mumbai Police Crime Branch’s work is far from over.
Senior officials confirmed that a team of serving as well as retired police officers had been kept on standby, armed with all information about Rajan, to assist the CBI in any way that they can.
Crime Branch sources said that the team was put together after Rajan was detained by the Bali police last week.
The Crime Branch, in anticipation of his imminent arrival to Mumbai and the work that would have to be done subsequently, started contacting retired police officers who had been investigating officers of the cases against him as well as those who had helped draft charge sheets in the cases.
On Friday, an officer with the Mumbai unit of the CBI met Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmad Javed and Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Atulchandra Kulkarni and discussed the cases against Rajan.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Director General of Police Praveen Dixit said that the transnational nature of the case was responsible for the State government’s decision to hand over the cases to the CBI.
“The investigation involves liaising with countries such as Thailand and the CBI is better equipped at handling such cases,” said Mr. Dixit.
