Don admits he pumped 4 bullets into Nepali

Mumbai: In a revelation to MiD DAY, gangster Santosh Shetty made a matter-of-fact confession that he bumped off gang member Bharat Nepali because he was an "infuriating" and "convoluted human being".

MiD DAY had earlier reported ('Did Bharat Nepali fake his death to ward it off?', December 25, 2010) that Nepali may have staged a fake death a practice adopted by gangland members in the belief that they will live longer by doing so. But Shetty, in an e-mail after a telephonic conversation with this correspondent, said that he shot Nepali dead in Bangkok about a month ago, mainly because he was enraged with the gangster's factional tendencies.

"I and Bharat had gone to a private villa that belongs to me. On that particular day, Bharat once again tried to convince me to do away with our colleague who has been a loyal right hand thus far.

It infuriated me so much that I asked my two bodyguards to pin him down while I pumped four bullets into that convoluted human being. After which they dumped him where he belonged," wrote Shetty, a member of the Mangalorean syndicate of the underworld operations.

Insiders subscribe to an alternative reason for the murder: Shetty killed Nepali to send a message to his former associate Chhota Rajan that he wants to change the 'gang order' in Mumbai.

Moreover, it is said that Nepali was clogging his ambition. The slain gangster had reportedly developed cold feet about Shetty's plan to take over the Tilak Nagar development, gangster Chhota Rajan's domain. This led Shetty to believe that he had a secret affiliation with his former mentor.

The confession has lent credence to the theory that the Mangalore syndicate, run by Shetty, is planning to assume control of the majority of the underworld business in the city, and may thwart its rival and the only formidable gang left in the city the D Company.

After Mumbai Police wiped out most other gangs in the past months, insiders say members of the Dawood Ibrahim gang may soon find themselves challenged by the Mangalo-rean syndicate. Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime), asked if he is taking the threat the Shetty gang poses seriously, said, "I don't want to glamorise gangsters."

But with Nepali out of the way, Shetty and his associates from Mangalore may have a free run. Members of smaller city-based factions, like the Pandavputra gang, the Thewar gang, and the Upadhyay gang, are already in the police net. Police sources said that a possible alignment with other former associates like Ravi and Hemant Pujari is not ruled out.

Rival claim

The ageing gangster, Rajan, on the other hand, claimed that it was he who killed Nepali, to avenge the death of his lieutenant Farid Tanasha last year.

Crime Branch sleuths are more inclined to believe Rajan. Not too convinced of Shetty's claims, they feel it is Rajan alias Nana's retribution of Tanasha's killing. An official confirmation on this is still awaited.

Backgrounder

Shetty has been working on his own after he broke away from Rajan in 2004. He has banded together with juniors like Vijay and Suraj Shetty to firm up his clout. Nepali had joined hands with Shetty after he broke away from Rajan around 2009. The plan was to attack Rajan in his own turf, Tilak Nagar.

The theory doing the rounds is that Nepali was wary of the little-known Suraj and wanted him eliminated. He said as much to Shetty who did not approve of his hostile plan.

A few days later, Nepali was taken by surprise in a private house in downtown Bangkok when he broached the subject of bumping off Suraj, allegedly provoking the Shettys to pump bullets into his body. Shetty claimed Nepali's behaviour of spreading enmity within the gang evoked the memory of Rajan.

Anna

The Kannada word 'Anna', which means big brother, signifies a gang leader from Mangalore or South Karnataka in underworld jargon.

Deshbhakti?

The Mangaloreans have always professed patriotism as key to their gang operations. Shetty, like Ravi and Hemant Pujari, claims that he joined Rajan's gang because of deshbhakti.

Rajan had assembled a deadly cluster of frontline shooters from Mangalore and the adjoining areas soon after he broke away from Dawood Ibrahim around 1993. It included members like Shetty, Hemant and Ravi Pujaris, Jaggu Farika, Simon and Sadhu Shetty, who had turned the tide against the Dawood gang.

The Mangalorean syndicate has the backing of several tainted hoteliers and an army of recruits from the Karwar coast in Karnataka.