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Abu Salem ( ; born Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari), also known as Aqil Ahmed Azmi and Abu Samaan, is an Indian criminal
gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...
and
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
"1993 Mumbai serial blasts case: Here's a look at the deadly role played by the 6 convicts"
, DNA News, 7 September 2017.
from
Azamgarh district Azamgarh district is one of the three districts of Azamgarh division in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Etymology The district is named after its headquarters town, Azamgarh. Azam, a son of Vikramajit, founded the town in 1665. Vikramajit ...
in
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
,
Central India Central India refers to a geographical region of India that generally includes the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The Central Zonal Council, established by the Government of India, includes these states as well as Uttar Prades ...
. Abu Salem worked in the D-Company ( Dawood Ibrahim gang) as a driver transporting artillery and contraband. Later he rose among the ranks after he introduced a new strategy of hiring unemployed youths from his hometown Azamgarh to come to Mumbai, execute shoot-outs and return the next day remaining untraced by the Mumbai police. He is currently serving a life sentence in India. Salem is infamous for terrorizing the Bollywood film industry by extorting money from film producers and usurping the overseas distribution rights. It is believed that Salem was the mastermind behind threatening Bollywood film producers Gulshan Kumar,
Subhash Ghai Subhash Ghai (born 24 January 1945) is an Indian film director, producer, actor, lyricist, music director and screenwriter, primarily known for his work in Hindi cinema. He was one of the most prominent Hindi filmmakers in the 1980s and 1990s. ...
,
Rajiv Rai Rajiv Gulshan Rai (born 18 July 1955) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film editor. The son of producer Gulshan Rai, he has directed many films under his father's production company, Trimurti Films, including '' Yudh'' (1985), '' Tr ...
and
Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan (born 6 September 1949) is an Indian film producer, director, screenwriter and actor who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. He appeared in 84 films in the 1970s and 1980s. As an actor, he is mostly known for his supporting roles in ...
. While his gang members assassinated Gulshan Kumar in 1997, they failed in their attempt to assassinate Rajiv Rai and Rakesh Roshan. He was also involved in several murders and extortion, among other crimes. He was later arrested in 2002 in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
on charges of using a fake passport and extradited to India. He was tried and convicted in some cases and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015.


Early life

Abu Salem was born in 1969 (according to the CBI; although the Mumbai police says, 1962; some reports suggest 1968) into a lower-middle-class family in
Sarai Mir Sarai Mir is a town and a nagar panchayat in Azamgarh district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Demographics As per the 2011 Indian Census, Sarai Mir had a total population of 19,055, of which 9,760 were males and 9,295 were females. Popu ...
village of
Azamgarh district Azamgarh district is one of the three districts of Azamgarh division in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Etymology The district is named after its headquarters town, Azamgarh. Azam, a son of Vikramajit, founded the town in 1665. Vikramajit ...
,
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
. He was the second youngest amongst four brothers, though some reports maintain that he was the eldest of four brothers. His father was a lawyer by profession who was killed in a road accident. He started a small mechanic shop in his home town to support his family. He studied in a primary school in Azamgarh and left the village after completing his inter college. He moved to
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, where he worked as a taxi driver. In 1985, he came to
Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
to earn a livelihood. He worked as a bread delivery boy between
Bandra Bandra ( æːɳɖɾa is a coastal suburb located in Mumbai, the largest city of the Konkan division in Maharashtra, India. The area is located to the immediate north of the River Mithi, which separates Bandra from the Mumbai City district. It ...
and
Andheri Andheri (Help:IPA/Marathi, �n̪d̪ʱeɾiː is a suburb situated in Western Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Government and politics For administrative purposes, Andheri is bifurcated into Andheri (west) and Andheri (east). Andheri (west) comes ...
and worked at a garment shop in Andheri West in 1986. Later, he became a real estate broker who operated from Arasa Market in Andheri West in 1987. In 1988, he assaulted a colleague over a monetary issue, resulting in the first case against him registered at Andheri police station. In the meantime, he married Samira Jumani from Jogeshwari, whom he divorced later. He has two sons from her. He loved film and reportedly named his sons after Bollywood actors. His elder brother Abu Hatim, also known as "Chunchun Miyan", owns a shop in his native village.


Involvement in organized crime

In the 1980s, he started working for his cousin Akthar who had a cheap electronics shop near Andheri railway station. Akhtar also worked for Sayyed Topi, a Dawood Ibrahim gang leader in the Andheri area. Later Abu Salem started a travel agency at Santa Cruz with J K Ibrahim who worked for the Dawood gang. From 1989 to 1993, Salem worked as a driver for the D-Company (Dawood Ibrahim gang) and he delivered weapons, illegal cash and goods to different gang members in Bombay. His proficiency at delivering goods at the right time and place earned him the nickname Abu Samaan. In 1992, he supplied weapons to film actor
Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who works in Hindi cinema in addition to a few Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi films. Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 160 films. ...
. He played an active role in March 1993 Bombay serial bomb blasts which killed over 250 people, left 700 injured and damaged property worth Rs 270 million. In 1993, he left the country and moved to
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
when the police started rounding up suspects in serial blasts case. He had a business establishment there called Kings of Car Trading. In the mid-nineties, many sharp shooters from D-company were killed either by the Chhota Rajan gang or in police encounters. Salem successfully introduced a new strategy of hiring unemployed Muslim youths from his hometown Azamgarh to come to Mumbai, carry off the shooting and return to Azamgarh the next day. Those youths were paid a paltry sum compared to sharp shooters and the Mumbai police also could not track them as the youths had no criminal record with the Bombay police. Soon Abu Salem got the support of Anees Ibrahim (Dawood's brother) and he rose to prominence within the gang. Because of his smooth talking skills, Salem was given the responsibility to manage the Bollywood deals and film financing for Dawood. He organised stage shows where he invited actors. He was involved in extorting from the Hindi film industry, channelling illicit money into film production, forcibly getting the dates of stars, and usurping overseas rights. Salem first worked under Chhota Shakeel but later split and took to threatening film personalities for
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...
. In mid-1997, reportedly went to Pakistan to make arrangements for the marriage of Dawood's brother Humayun. Salem is believed to be the mastermind behind the murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar on 12 August 1997 without Dawood's consent. His gang members also attempted to shoot at Bollywood film directors,
Rajiv Rai Rajiv Gulshan Rai (born 18 July 1955) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film editor. The son of producer Gulshan Rai, he has directed many films under his father's production company, Trimurti Films, including '' Yudh'' (1985), '' Tr ...
and
Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan (born 6 September 1949) is an Indian film producer, director, screenwriter and actor who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. He appeared in 84 films in the 1970s and 1980s. As an actor, he is mostly known for his supporting roles in ...
when they refused to yield to his extortion demands. Salem fled Dubai, fearing Dawood's wrath. He finally parted ways with Dawood after being sidelined in 1998. His friction with Shakeel and Dawood's favouring of Shakeel is believed to be the reason behind Salem's split from the D-Company. In 2000, he planned kidnapping of Milton Plastics owner for ransom of Rs 30 million. In January 2001, his men shot Ajit Diwani, personal secretary to film actress
Manisha Koirala Manisha Koirala (; born 16 August 1970) is a Nepali people, Nepalese actress who works in Cinema of India, Indian films, predominantly in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil. Born to the politically prominent Koirala family, she is the daughter of ...
. In October 2001, four members of his gang were shot in Bandra before they could target film personalities
Aamir Khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...
, Ashutosh Gowarikar and Jhamu Sughand. In July 2002, two shooters of Salem's gang opened fire on film director
Lawrence D'souza Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...
who survived. He also attempted to kill cine figures
Rajiv Rai Rajiv Gulshan Rai (born 18 July 1955) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film editor. The son of producer Gulshan Rai, he has directed many films under his father's production company, Trimurti Films, including '' Yudh'' (1985), '' Tr ...
,
Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan (born 6 September 1949) is an Indian film producer, director, screenwriter and actor who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. He appeared in 84 films in the 1970s and 1980s. As an actor, he is mostly known for his supporting roles in ...
and
Manmohan Shetty Manmohan Shetty is an Indian entrepreneur who founded and developed Adlabs Films Ltd, one of India’s largest media and entertainment firms. Biography Shetty was born and schooled in Mangalore in India to a Tulu-speaking Tuluva Bunt commun ...
.


Arrest, extradition and trial

He was convicted for the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case, and murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar in 1996, shooting at Indian actress Manisha's secretary, murdering a property builder and more than 50 other cases. On 20 September 2002, he was arrested along with
Monica Bedi Monica Bedi (born 18 January 1975) is an Indian actress and television presenter who primarily appears in Hindi films. She has also worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Bengali films. Bedi debuted in Hindi films in the mid-1990s, with notable ...
by
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. His
satellite phone A satellite telephone, satellite phone or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to other phones or the telephone network by radio link through satellites orbiting the Earth instead of terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do. Therefo ...
was tracked using
GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...
technology. Monica Bedi was a film actress who reportedly had relationship with him. In February 2004, a
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
court cleared his extradition to
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
to face trial in the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts case. In November 2005, Portuguese authorities handed him over to India on the assurance by the Government of India that the death penalty would not be handed out. When Salem was in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
fighting India's extradition attempt, the only proof that he was indeed Salem was provided by the fingerprint and photographs taken after his arrest in 1991. Monica Bedi was also extradited to India and later convicted of passport forgery in 2006 and served her imprisonment but she was not involved in any of the businesses operated by Abu Salem. A lower court in Portugal cancelled his extradition to India for violation of deportation rules by Indian authorities by instituting fresh cases against him that attracted the death penalty. In July 2012, the Portuguese Supreme Court of Justice questioned the legal right of Indian authorities to challenge the cancellation of extradition order. On 27 June 2013, Salem was shot by Devendra Jagtap, an accused person in the Shahid Azmi murder case inside Taloja Central Jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, the police said. Salem sustained injury to his hand as Jagtap fired one round. Abu Salem was convicted in Pradeep Jain murder case on 16 February 2015. Jain, a city-based builder, was shot dead outside his Juhu bungalow on 7 March 1995. Nameem Khan, an accused in the case had turned approver. Riyaz Siddiqui, another accused in the case had turned approver then retracted and is being tried separately. He was sentenced life imprisonment in Pradeep Jain murder case on 25 February 2015. Abu Salem, Mustafa Dossa, and 4 others were convicted by a Special CBI court in Mumbai on 16 June 2017 in connection with the 1993 Bombay blasts case. Salem is currently lodged in Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail.
Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
Court Gives Life Imprisonment To Abu Salem in Mumbai 1993 Blast Case. In 2010, a violent clash broke out between the gangster Abu Salem and Mustafa Dossa, which let to Salem's face being slashed with a sharpened spoon. On 7 June 2018, A Delhi court held him guilty for extorting Delhi businessman Ashok Gupta and sentenced him to seven years in prison. In 2002, Salem called Gupta asking him to call a number in Dubai. Salem had threatened Gupta and his family. In 2024, Abu Salem was represented by advocate Yatish Dilip Desale in the Mumbai serial bomb blast at the Delhi supreme court, and now representing him Mumbai Highcourt for Release Application in India.


Music Debut

In August 2013, Punjabi singer Sukhwinder Singh Maan alias Sukha Delhi wala revealed that he would release a song composed by Abu Salem while lodged in Tihar Jail, in his next Music Album. The Music Album shall also feature many other celebrities like
Rahul Mahajan Rahul Mahajan (born 25 July 1975) is an Indian reality show entertainer and former pilot. He is the son of former union cabinet minister Pramod Mahajan. He appeared as a contestant on reality shows like '' Bigg Boss 2'', '' Bigg Boss Halla Bol ...
and Vindu Dara Singh.


Net worth

Abu Salem is said to be a billionaire gangster worth Rs. 55 billion (Approx $0.67 billion). His cash and property have been valued at least Rs 10 billion, which is divided between him and his wife, Samira Jumani. While Salem stakes a claim to Rs 2 billion, his wife possess Rs 8 billion in cash and property. Salem's investments in Bollywood and hawala rackets are estimated to be at least another Rs 30 billion. The CBI arrived at the figures on the basis of one-years transactions (2000–2001), and are said to be a conservative estimate. Salem possessed a non-immigrant work visa in the US, where he was employed as a maintenance manager for a marine engineering company. As he operated under different names, he could buy property worth crores, despite his employment background. Preliminary calculations by the CBI reveal transactions worth Rs 2 billion were carried out by Salem in the year 2000 itself. Details of his earlier transactions were not known as his whereabouts are not known. Police sources say that his anonymous but legal businesses in the Middle East are run by his close associates.


Personal life

He married Samira Jumani, a 17-year-old college girl, in 1991 with whom he has a son. Samira currently lives in
Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
,
Gwinnett County Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, being located about northeast of Atlanta city limits. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Post Salem's arrest in Portugal, she told interviewers that he was a "violent psychotic man" and she was forced into marriage. In September 2002, Abu Salem and his partner
Monica Bedi Monica Bedi (born 18 January 1975) is an Indian actress and television presenter who primarily appears in Hindi films. She has also worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Bengali films. Bedi debuted in Hindi films in the mid-1990s, with notable ...
, were arrested and later served prison sentences in Portugal for entering the country on forged documents. In 2006, an Indian Court convicted Bedi for procuring a passport on a fictitious name. In November 2010, the
Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...
upheld her conviction but reduced the prison sentence to the period that she had already served.


References


External links


"''Abu Salem arrested in Lisbon''"
nbsp;–
rediff.com Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
article dated 20 September 2002
India's Dreaded GangsterAbu Salem Captured
nbsp;–
rediff.com Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
article dated 21 February 2005
In 2024,. "'Abu Salem: Adv. Yatish Dilip Desale, ''"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salem, Abu 1962 births Living people Indian gangsters D-Company 20th-century Indian Muslims Criminals from Uttar Pradesh People from Azamgarh Indian extortionists Indian crime bosses Indian people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by India People extradited to India 1993 Bombay bombings Criminals from Mumbai Crime in the United Arab Emirates Indian taxi drivers Indian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners and detainees of Maharashtra Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by India