Chhota Rajan to be charged in Thailand

BANGKOK, SEPT 27: Gangster Chhota Rajan is to be charged with giving false information in a move which will keep him in Thailand, police said here on Wednesday. Chhota Rajan will be charged with declaring false information and barred from leaving the country, Visanu Muangpraesri of the immigration police bureau told AFP.

quot;We found that he had filed a false statement 8230; when he requested to change his visa,quot; he said. Rajan had asked to have his tourist visa status changed to a business visa so he could operate an import-export company, Visanu said. But he never attempted to launch such a company, and therefore he could be charged with giving false information to immigration officials, he said.

Police had reportedly been looking for ways to keep Rajan in Thailand, as Indian police had decided to file an extradition order against him. But Rajan could not be detained in Thailand if he had not been charged with a crime. Rajan had earlier said he planned to fly out of Thailand on Thursday on his private plane.

Rajan, who entered Thailand under the name Vijay Daman, was wounded on September 15 when gunmen burst into a Bangkok apartment and killed his associate Rohit Verma, also known as Michael D8217;Souza. Verma8217;s wife Sikandi Hama was wounded in the attack. Indian police want to question Rajan in connection with a series of murders.