Jailed gangster Abu Salem was the victim of a spoon attack by a fellow inmate, Mustafa Dossa, on Saturday that left him with facial injuries. The police claimed the attack was the result of long-simmering tension.
Dossa, far senior to Salem in the underworld hierarchy, was troubled by Salem’s “gangster aura”, created by sustained media coverage, claimed jail officials.
“The spoon measures around four to five inches. Dossa had sharpened one edge of its handle and then used it as a weapon,” said ACP (central region) Vineet Agarwal.
The police said Salem is called “chai-pav (errand boy)” by the top bosses. This tag resulted in regular verbal spats between the two whenever their paths crossed. According to the N.M. Joshi Marg police, Salem and Dossa, lodged in the same high-security barracks in Arthur Road Jail, got into an argument on Saturday morning when the doors to their cells were opened. Both men began pushing and hitting each other. Before the guards could intervene, Dossa had attacked Salem with a spoon, inflicting injuries on his face and neck. “Salem’s injuries are not too serious, he was treated at the prison itself. Dossa is still at the Arthur Road Jail, but will be taken into custody if the investigation demands it,” said Mr Agarwal.
The Mumbai police is worried Salem might use the attack to raise safety concerns in an attempt to be sent back to Portugal.
However, legal experts say the incident is not serious enough for Salem to be able to prove to both India and Portugal that there is a drastic threat to his life.