New Delhi One of India's most wanted criminals, Abu Salem, wanted in over 70 cases, including contract killings, extortions, kidnappings and cricket match-fixing is finally in the CBI net.
In what is being seen as a major breakthrough, the agency secured the extradition of Salem, once a key associate of Dawood Ibrahim who planned and financed the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings, from Portugal.
Salem, along with his companion Monica Bedi, were brought to Mumbai early on Friday morning. The duo arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport in Mumbai at 0800 hrs IST.
Salem had been jailed in Portugal with Bedi in 2002 for possesing fake documents and resisting arrest.
Security at all airports from Lisbon to Delhi were tightened as the CBI team brought the duo back after a stopover at Frankfurt, CBI sources said. As a security measure, Salem is not being kept at the same place for long at the CBI office.
CBI Director Uma Shankar Mishra said, Salem has been extradited to India in eight cases - the Mumbai serial blasts, two cases of passport forgery from Lucknow, three cases of extortion from Delhi and murders of T-Series owner Gulshan Kumar and Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala's secretary Ajit Dewani in Mumbai.
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Salem is also wanted in connection with builder Omprakash Kukreja's murder and over 50 other cases in Mumbai. His gang members had also attacked film personalities Rakesh Roshan, Rajeev Rai and Manmohan Shetty.
After leaving India, Salem had undergone cosmetic surgery, but Indian authorities had been tracking his mobile phone number. When he shifted base to the US, the FBI was alerted. In 2002, the FBI informed Portuguese authorities that Salem was entering Lisbon on fake documents.
He was arrested along with Bedi and a Portuguese court sentenced him to four-and-a-half years in prison in November 2003. Bedi was sentenced to two years in prison.
Though he had changed his looks, Indian authorities nailed him with his fingerprints taken when he was arrested in Mumbai.
Salem had challenged his extradition, but a constitutional court in Portugal had turned down the appeal. In January this year, the Supreme Court of Portugal ratified the order of a Portuguese court allowing extradition of Salem and Bedi to India.
This is the first case of extradition of a criminal from a European nation to India. Salem's extradition came through only after India gave an executive assurance to Portugal that neither of the two would be sentenced to death if found guilty of charges.
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