Close aide of slain gangster reveals that a Ratnagiri farmhouse doubled up as a training centre where Rajan gang shooters polished their aim with beer bottles

In the underworld sharpshooters are a valued lot. And gangs go to any extent to hire the best and provide them with the best weapons for the job.


Farid Tanasha

However, never before have the Mumbai police come across a training centre for sharpshooters. The fact came to light after the arrest of a Chhota Rajan aide, Zuber Abdul Hamid Jamadar.

During interrogation Jamadar (34) revealed that his mentor Farid Tanasha, who was shot dead last year, had a farmhouse in Ratnagiri that doubled up as a training centre for the gang's sharpshooters.
u00a0
They used beer bottles for target practice. Jamadar, himself, was in the process of training a
team of shooters to avenge Farid's murder, he told the Crime Branch.


Mumbai police has discovered a training centre for sharpshooters for the first time

The Unit-VII of the Crime Branch arrested Jamadar with a pistol and 16 rounds yesterday. 50 foreign-made (.9mm) rounds have also been seized from him.

According to crime branch officials Jamadar was very close to Tanasha. In fact, Jamadar had left Farid's house minutes before a team of shooter broke into his house and gunned the gangster to death.

"Soon after Farid's murder , Jamadar began reorganizing the gang and was planning to avenge his death. He was in regular touch with Rajan," said an officer.

"Some years back too, Jamadar went to Ratnagiri and tested his weapon," said Himanshu Roy, Jt Commissioner of Police.

Roy added that the underworld has changed its weapons smuggling business. Earlier they used to sneak a single firearm or maybe two at a time, but now they are smuggling in much larger quantities.

Arms haul

The crime branch Unit-VII has also arrested Manohar Jawahar Gupta (30) with 16 weapons and 10 live cartridges. All weapons are made in Bihar. The accused Gupta is also a resident of Chhapra, Bihar.
u00a0
In September 2010, Unit-XI had arrested two accused Nagesh Tyagi and Manish Tyagi with 21 weapons.

Who is Jamadar?
Jamadar is a cousin of Farid Tanasha. He was arrested in 1992-93 and was jailed for three years. It was during his prison term that he came close to Rajan's men. After a successful big business deal, Tanasha had organised a party at his farmhouse in Ratnagiri, where Jamadar tested his weapon on beer bottles. Tanasha was impressed with his shooting skills.