Kumar Krishna Pillai (Photo: Hindustan Times) and Kumar brought back to Mumbai airport (Photo: ANI/Twitter)Mumbai: When Kumar Krishna Pillai fled India 17 years ago, he had four cases pending against him for homicide, attempt to murder and extortion. The don who was brought back to Mumbai from Singapore on Monday night has a crime record that reads like a Bollywood script.
The police identified the fugitive who was arrested in Singapore on February 26 by matching his fingerprints against the ones in their record from 26 years ago.
Pillai, a textile engineer who was born to Malayali parents at Vikhroli in Mumbai, plunged into the Mumbai underworld in the early 1990s to avenge the murder of his father, a club owner. He had vowed to go barefoot until he shot down his father’s killer, who had apparent connections to the Dawood Ibrahim gang. Lal Singh Chowhan killed Pillai’s father because he refused to sell his club to the local corporator.
Chowhan was killed outside the Borivli police station. Pillai joined the Naik brothers and soon rose in the ranks of the criminal network. He was involved in many extortion cases. He made money by threatening builders.
His fortunes changed when Amar Naik was shot down by the police in an encounter that condemned Ashwin Naik to the wheel chair. He shifted base to Chennai, where he soon grew into an arms dealer in the supply network of the LTTE. He even developed a hotel business in the southern city.
He formed his gang in Bengaluru too.
He was arrested in 1998 but secured bail and went into hiding. The police suspect he was active in the criminal activities in Indian cities even after he fled the country. Many of his associates had been caught running the mafia’s operations in the country. The latest case pertained to forcing former MLA Mahesh Sangli to pay up Rs 25 lakh in 2013.
The police initially suspected that Pillai had been living in Europe or the United States. In February, they got reliable information that the fugitive was in Singapore. They forced the Interpol to tighten the screws.
He was brought to Mumbai on Air India flight 343. His arrest was recorded by the crime branch at 9:30 pm.
