Chhota Rajan Gets 7-Year Jail Term in Chennai Passport Fraud Case

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Chennai on Monday sentenced notorious underworld figure Chhota Rajan, also known as Vijaya Kadam, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in a passport fraud case. The court also imposed a fine of ₹55,000 on him.

The court found Rajan guilty of cheating, forgery, personation, and knowingly submitting forged documents to obtain an Indian passport. Rajan, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, New Delhi, serving a life sentence in another case, was convicted under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Passport Act.

The case dates back to March 19, 2002, when the CBI registered a case alleging that Rajan had fraudulently obtained a passport from the Regional Passport Office in Chennai using forged documents. The investigation revealed that Rajan had applied for a passport in the name of 'Vijaya Kadam' by submitting forged documents, including a school transfer certificate, ration card, and demand draft. The probe established that the applicant was actually Rajendra alias Nana alias Chhota Rajan, son of Sadashiv, and a native of Mumbai.

The CBI stated that Rajan impersonated Vijaya Kadam and fraudulently obtained the passport by submitting forged documents as proof of age and residence, and later used the passport as a genuine document. The agency filed a chargesheet against Rajan on January 22, 2004, and after a trial, the CBI court convicted him and awarded the seven-year sentence along with the fine.

This is not the first conviction for Rajan, who has been involved in multiple criminal cases across India. He is currently serving a life sentence in a murder case. The latest sentence will run concurrently with his existing sentence, unless the court orders otherwise.