NEW DELHI: Notorious fugitive gangster Rashid Cablewala, who has been linked to several murders in Delhi, was detained in Azerbaijan on arriving from Istanbul, sources confirmed, with Indian intelligence agencies now gearing up to bring him back, reports Rajshekhar Jha.It is unclear whether he was imprisoned there or kept under surveillance post-bond. Cablewala, who is on the ‘most wanted’ list, was detained by immigration authorities at Baku’s Heydar Aliyev International Airport due to “anomalies in his travel documents”, a relative said. A senior cop confirmed the developments and said they would share details of his criminal history and dossier through appropriate channels. Cablewala is a close associate of jailed gangster Hashim Baba and was handling operations for the gang. He is also linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate. His name emerged in the killing of businessman Nadir Shah in Greater Kailash-I in Sept last year. He was then accused of a double murder in east Delhi on th e night of Diwali in Oct 2024. When his name croopped up again, in the killing of businessman Sunil Jain in east Delhi’s Krishna Nagar last Dec, Cablewala became one of Delhi Police’s most sought-after fugitives.
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Speaking with TOI from an undisclosed location in December 2024, Cablewala claimed that Jain’s murder was “retribution” for the twin murders reported from the same area in Oct but denied his involvement. Cablewala told TOI that Sachin alias Golu was one of the assailants who had accepted payment from two parties to kill another individual. “Jain was not the target. The target was this man named Virat and he will be eliminated...,” he had revealed. Sources said Sachin was still on the run and may have fled abroad too.Authorities said Hashim Baba and Cablewala shared an extensive history. They initially gained notoriety when they, along with their former associate Nasir, eliminated Akil Mama during a funeral in 2013. Following Nasir’s imprisonment, Hashim Baba and Cablewala assumed control of the gang. They eventually separated and established their individual operations. A history-sheeter linked to multiple homicide cases, Cablewala carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh before his arrest in 2018. At the time, he was apprehended while attempting to escape to Saudi Arabia. He established a garments enterprise in Riyadh and was expanding into Thailand. This, investigators said, was to launder illicit proceeds. In 2019, he was charged under MCOCA by the crime branch. In 2020, he was apprehended again by the special cell. He escaped using a forged passport in early 2022.
