Abu Salem

Abu Salem (born 1968) is an underworld don originally from Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, India. He is convicted for the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case and killing of India's music baron Gulshan Kumar 1997.

He has unsuccessfully attempted to kill Bollywood film directors Rajiv Rai and Rakesh Roshan. [http://www.dnaindia.com/Report.asp?NewsID=9464] At one time was a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim and later fell off when he seemed too-big-for-his-boots. Before becoming a professional criminal, he worked as a driver and a hawker. He is also wanted in India for murder and extortion cases.

On September 20, 2002, he and his companion Monica Bedi were arrested by Interpol in Lisbon, Portugal. His satellite phone was tracked using GPS technology. He has been accused in the 1993 bomb blasts as well as killing of Bollywood producer Gulshan Kumar, Indian actress Manisha Koirala's secretary, a builder and more than 50 other cases.

In February 2004, a Portugal court cleared his extradition to India to face trial in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case. In November 2005, Portuguese authorities handed him over along with Monica Bedi to Indian authorities on the assurance that death penalty would not be meted on him or his partner Monica Bedi.

Abu Salem was born in a lower middle class family. Abu's father was an advocate by profession. Abu could not complete his education after his father died in a road accident. Initially Abu started a small mechanic shop in his home town to support his family. But soon after he moved to Delhi, the capital city of India. In Delhi he worked as a taxi driver. After some time Abu shifted base to Bombay, the financial capital of India. In Bombay he worked again as a driver. It was in Bombay that he met Dawood, the underworld don, and joined his mafia. Abu Salem split from the Dawood gang in 1998. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4427536.stm BBC NEWS | South Asia | Profile: India's dreaded gangster ] ]

In March 2006, a special TADA court filed eight charges against him and his alleged associate Riaz Siddiqui for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. He stands accused of ferrying and distributing weapons.

Abu Salem is currently in high-security Arthur Jail in Mumbai.

Fake passport case

In November 2007, Abu Salem appeared before the Bhopal District Court in connection with a fake passport case.

References

Abu Salem's Marriage

Abu Salem is married to Monica Bedi

Monica Bedi, during her 21-day appearance on the TV reality show Bigg Boss, may have gone to town claiming she never married gangster Abu Salem , but this newspaper has in its possession documents which show she not only married Salem for a mehr of $5,000, but even wrote very filmi letters to him while both were in Portuguese jails.

In fact, Bedi very clearly tells the police, according to the Portuguese police report, that they should not touch the $5,000 as the money is her "marriage money" and is dear to her. Bedi, along with Salem, was arrested in Lisbon in September 2002 for possessing fake passports and documents.

Bedi, in her statement given to the Portuguese police, has said that the $5,000 found in her home by them was her husband’s wedding present (mehr) when they contracted the religious marriage, as is a custom in Islam.

The Portuguese police investigation report states: "She met her husband about four years ago (in 2000) in Dubai. They took to living together, and later, in November 2000, she married him in the US, where they resided for some time."

The report adds: "From the Americas they went to Dubai again, and from there to Switzerland after they received a threat from the Indian mafia." What could be damning for Bedi is the part of the report that says, "She is aware that her husband had, in time, connections to some elements of that mafia, and they had reported him to the Dubai police authorities."

While Bedi has claimed several times that she was not in touch with Salem after he was arrested in Portugal in 2002, documents clearly show this was not the case. Bedi used to meet Salem in jail every week and wrote mushy letters to him, some running into 10 pages, and some of which are in the possession of this newspaper. The letters clearly show that Bedi was married to Salem and had also converted to Islam of her own accord.

Starlet Monica Bedi isn't ganglord Abu Salem's second wife, she is the third. Fourth, in fact, if you take into account Salem's marriage of convenience to a Portuguese woman to acquire citizenship of that country.

Salem, known for his womanising in the underworld, married Yasmin Kamal, the daughter of a Karachi-based businessman, soon after he divorced his first wife, Samira Jumani.

Salem married Samira when he was just 24 and she 18. While Samira now lives with her two children, Aaamir Khan and Ayub Khan, in Los Angeles, US, Yasmin is a resident of Karachi.

Yasmin, who lived in her father's house in Karachi's posh Tariq Road Commercial area, was known to be close to several expatriate dons.

Related articles:-http://www.apnicommunity.com/big-boss-2/74885-monica-bedi-married-abu-salem.htmlhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1301773.cms

External links

* [http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/20abu.htm "Abu Salem arrested in Lisbon"] - rediff.com article dated September 20, 2002
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4427536.stm India's Dreaded Gangster]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4427158.stm Abu Salem Captured]
* [http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/feb/22spec3.htm "Abu Salem: A dossier"] - rediff.com article dated February 21, 2005
* [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1532195.cms Monica helped me: Abu Salem] - The Times of India