Rakesh Maria, the former Mumbai Police Commissioner, has made shocking disclosures on the murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar. In his book, Rakesh Maria has alleged that Mumbai police had detailed intelligence on a conspiracy to assassinate Gulshan Kumar but the appearance of the UP Police upset the operation.
In his new memoir, Let Me Say It Now, Maria has revealed that the Mumbai Police were aware of the name of the underworld don, whose gang was tasked to murder Gulshan Kumar. However, they still could not avert the killing of the founder of the T-Series.
In the early hours of April 22, 1997, Maria received a call, “Sir, Gulshan Kumar ka wicket girne wala hai (Sir, Gulshan Kumar is about to be killed),” the person on the other end informed. “Who is the wicket-taker,” asked Maria.
“Abu Salem, saab. Usne apne shooters ke saath sab plan nakki kiya hai. Gulshan Kumar roz subah gharse nikalke pehle ek Shiv mandir jata hai. Wahin pe kaam khatam karne wale hain. (Abu Salem is the one planning to kill Gulshan Kumar. He has finalised the plan with his shooters. The first thing that Gulshan Kumar does every morning after leaving home is to visit a nearby Shiv temple. That is where they are going to bump him off),” the informant said.
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Rakesh Maria writes that he immediately telephoned film producer-director Mahesh Bhatt and enquired from him whether he knew Gulshan Kumar. The former Mumbai police commissioner also asked Bhatt if he was aware that Gulshan Kumar visited a Shiv temple every morning.
In his book, Maria mentioned that he even apprised Mahesh Bhatt of the reason he was asking. After some time, Mahesh Bhatt called him back and confirmed the information.
“Then I told Bhatt I would be briefing the Crime Branch and he must tell Gulshan Kumar not to stir out of the house till the Crime Branch had got in touch with him and made arrangements for his safety,” wrote Maria, who was the then Assistant Inspector General (Law and Order, and Crime) as a Staff Officer to the DGP, Arvind Inamdar.
Maria writes that he then called up the Crime Branch and gave them the details furnished by his informant. “The Crime Branch then extended the requisite protection to Gulshan Kumar. Therefore, it came as a big shock to me when on 12 August 1997, I received a call that conveyed the news of Gulshan Kumar’s murder, in the manner that it had been described,” mentioned Maria in his book.
Following the murder of Gulshan Kumar, the later investigation revealed that Gulshan Kumar was being provided security by a contingent of the Uttar Pradesh Police as he owned a cassette factory in Noida. Therefore, the security provided by the Mumbai Police was withdrawn.
“Somewhere down the line, routine and apathy could have set in, as it often happens in prolonged watch and ward duties,” wrote Maria.
On August 12, 1997, Gulshan Kumar was shot dead as he came out of a Shiva temple in Mumbai’s Andheri area.
In his new book, Rakesh Maria has made startling revelations, which has now stoked huge political controversies. The new disclosures have caused massive embarrassment for the Congress party.
The former Mumbai top cop has revealed that 26/11 terror attack convict Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab would have died as Bengaluru resident ‘Samir Dinesh Chaudhari’, with a ‘Kalava’ (Hindu sacred thread) tied around his wrist”, had the Lashkar-e-Taiba succeeded in its plans to pin the blame on Hindu extremists.
“There would have been screaming headlines in newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai. Over the top TV journalists would have made a beeline for Bengaluru to interview his family and neighbours. But alas, it had not worked that way and there he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan,” he writes in his book.
