Extradition of Chhota Shakeel’s hitman turns into Indo-Pak contest
MUMBAI: Police here are banking on evidence of fingerprints and family DNA profile to get gangster Chhota Shakeel’s hitman Sayyad Muzakkir Muddasar Hussain alias Munna Jhingada extradited from Thailand even as Pakistan continues to lay claim on the sharpshooter as its citizen.
This month, a Bangkok court is likely to begin examining evidence submitted by India in its extradition appeal for trying Jhingada in criminal cases in Mumbai. “While we have the requiredpaperstoprovehiscitizenship,themostimportantof themare hisfingerprintsandthecasepapers. We have sought his custody for putting him on trial in an Indian court for serious crimes,” said a crime branch officer.
The Mumbai police crime branch has also provided the Bangkok court with translated copies of the FIRs registered against him in Mumbai along with his fingerprints (collected by police upon his arrest) and DNA samples of his mother and sister, collected in July 2014.
Jhingada’s extradition has turned out into a tug-of-war between India and Pakistan with each side staking claim. According to sources, Pakistan is wary of Jhingada landing in India’s hands as he is aware of crucial information about Dawood Ibrahim gang.
Jhingada was arrested by the Thai police in 2002 after a failed assassination bid on another underworld don and Dawood’s rival Chhota Rajan in September 2000. His sentence was to end in 2011, but he continues to be in jail.