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Bombay police team may return
empty-handed from Thailand

Thai authorities had said it was all right to talk to the Maharashtra police until now, but wanted the Indian government to get in touch with them when legal issues began to crop up.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who met Home Minister L K Advani in New Delhi on Wednesday, said at an impromptu press conference after the meeting that the police team, which has been camping in Thailand for the past month, will be brought back as the Thai authorities want the Indian government to discuss the issue with them directly.

The police team would return by the 'earliest flight', Bombay Police Commissioner M N Singh, who was also present in the meeting, said.

Bhujbal, who is also Maharashtra's home minister, was accompanied by his home secretary and the Crime Branch in-charge.

He said they had also met External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. Both Advani and Jaswant Singh had assured them that they would 'do something about it'.

The extradition of Chhota Rajan would take a long time since India did not have an extradition treaty with Thailand. Deportation would be much easier, Bhujbal said.

Moreover, even with countries with which India has an extradition treaty, like England, ''It has taken three years to pursue the case of music director Nadeem, accused in the Gulshan Kumar murder case,'' he added.

Bhujbal said the police team had, during the past month, gathered details about the fake passport of Chhota Rajan, finger prints of the don and of those who had attacked him.

''The Centre would pursue the case after the police team is called back,'' he added.

Bhujbal said the police team had done a good job but there was no need to keep them in Bangkok any longer.

About the other gang leaders who are in Dubai, Bhujbal said, ''Fifty per cent of the discussion with the home minister centred on that subject.''

He said he had met the home minister twice and handed over relevant papers and the list of names of such persons. ''We want all mafia to be dealt with,'' he added.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT
Govt committed to Rajan extradition: Deshmukh

COMPLETE COVERAGE
Attack on Chhota Rajan

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