Bollywood rejoiced yesterday after Abu Salem, one of the most feared gangsters in the Indian underworld, appeared in court to face charges in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bombing spree.
Salem, 36, is said to be the most dreaded figure in the Hindi film industry.
“Salem’s extradition is simply great. We can now work peacefully in our industry without his fear,� Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty said.
Fear of Salem increased after 1997 when the gangster allegedly ordered the murder of a popular film producer for failing to pay extortion money. He was also linked to the murder and kidnapping of other stars.
There are 25 cases against Salem in Mumbai, involving extortion, murder and kidnapping, police commissioner A N Roy said yesterday.
Salem, a one-time associate of Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wanted criminal, was extradited for his role in the 1993 blasts in Mumbai, and has been on the run since the attacks.
It was unclear whether other charges related to extortion would be filed immediately, police said.
Salem broke away from Ibrahim in 1998 and formed his own crime syndicate by threatening film stars and property builders if they did not pay extortion demands.
Several cases have been reported of Bollywood filmmakers receiving financing from gangsters or criminal syndicates.
In 2002, leading producer Bharat Shah served one year in jail for using suspected underworld funds to make a film starring well-known leading man Salman Khan.
Salem and his girlfriend Monica Bedi were detained in 2002 in Sharjah, but the Indian police failed to extradite them.
Several Bollywood celebrities have been accused of links with the underworld in the last two decades including actor Sanjay Dutt who faced charges of aiding the 1993 serial blasts.
Here are some of the major cases against Salem:
Cricket match-fixing scandal in which some of India’s top players, including former captain Mohamed Azharuddin, were also involved.
Masterminding an attack on Bollywood producer Rajiv Rai at his office in 1997.
Salem’s men also attacked producer Xavier Marquis.
Wanted for the alleged murder of Mumbai-based builders Om Prakash Kukrej and Pradeep Jain.
