Farid Tanasha (37), a henchman of Chhota Rajan, was shot dead at his residence in Tilak Nagar at Chembur by half a dozen assailants on Wednesday night. Tanasha was not only a key Rajan aide in Mumbai but also a top informer for the Intelligence Bureau and the Crime Branch.
Tanasha was arrested in 2005 along with a former IB officer in New Delhi by an IPS officer. It was believed that the IB officer, along with Tanasha, had allegedly been plotting the elimination of Dawood Ibrahim. They had planned to kill him while he was busy celebrating his daughter’s wedding. However, due to the Mumbai police’s indiscretion, the plan could not be executed.
Bharat Nepali, who fell out with the Chhota Rajan gang, has reportedly claimed responsibility for Wednesday night’s attack. According to the police, armed assailants barged into Tanasha’s residence and shot him while his wife and a few close associates were in the house. Tanasha was taken to Rajawadi Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
According to sources, Tanasha had apparently visited the IB office in New Delhi last week. He had then gone to Ajmer and returned to Mumbai on Tuesday. The police suspects the murder is the work of an insider who tipped off the assailants about his whereabouts. Sources added that his externment procedure was on in Zone XI of the Mumbai police.
The judgment in an extortion case involving Tanasha was scheduled for June 7.