'Singh was plotting against Rajan'

MUMBAI: Gangster Omprakash Singh was allegedly strangled by 13 inmates of the Chhota Rajan gang in Nashik jail on November 23 as he was planning to stage a major revolt against the don, according to police sources. Singh was a key aide of Chhota Rajan, who is currently in hiding abroad.Singh collected extortion money and 'settled' disputes among builders for hefty commissions.He was also the main conduit for passing on bribes from Chhota Rajan to senior police and government officials. But after the attack on Chhota Rajan in Bangkok in September 2000 by the Chhota Shakeel gang, Singh believed the don's days were numbered and began making plans to form his own gang, an assistant commissioner told TNN.A post-graduate in science, Singh began weaning away Rajan's shooters like Hemant Poojari. More recently, Singh reportedly 'settled' a dispute between two builders of Kandivli and received a few crore rupees by way of commission.This money was not transferred to Chhota Rajan who became suspicious. The last straw was when Singh tried to instigate a key gangster Bala Dokre against Chhota Rajan. Dokre imformed Chhota Rajan about Singh's efforts.Chhota Rajan then laid a trap by asking Dokre to speak to Singh on a conference phone. Singh spoke to Dokre from one of his four mobile phones from Nashik jail and Chhota Rajan listened in to the conversation. Singh reportedly told Dokre that Chhota Rajan's gang was collapsing and that he was going to emerge as the new don, explained the source.Chhota Rajan ordered his associate D K Rao to have Singh killed immediately. Rao who was in Nashik jail, bribed the jail officials to bring 13 members of the Chhota Rajan gang from Arthur Road jail to Nashik.Incidentally, Chhota Rajan had also got his hotelier associate Vinod Shetty of Chembur killed in November 2000 when he found he was disloyal. Chhota Rajan's men had seized Shetty's mobile phones and found he had made calls to Chhota Shakeel in Karachi, a source said. Chhota Rajan had also sent his ace shooter Rohit Verma to eliminate his estranged associate Mohan Kotian in Bangalore. Singh joined the Chhota Rajan gang after his brother Arun was murdered by the Amar Naik gang in 1991. Arun, a professor at Ghatkopar's Jhunjunwala College, was entangled with the underworld, police sources said. To avenge his brother's murder, Omprakash Singh joined Chhota Rajan.Chhota Rajan found him useful since he was very methodical in his style of working. Since he was educated, Singh could easily establish a rapport with police officials.This propelled him through the ranks of the gang and he became a trusted aide of Rajan. "Singh was involved in behind-the-scenes activities of the Chhota Rajan gang," a crime branch officer said. He soon started handling complicated operations, including the gang's land dealings, the officer added. Singh had surrendered before the police in Delhi in last November, the officer said.