Told Mahesh to warn Gulshan Kumar that he’ll be shot: Rakesh Maria
The Indian film industry has witnessed its fair share of tragic events, but one incident that still sends shivers down the spine is the murder of Gulshan Kumar, the founder of T-Series. Kumar was shot dead outside a Shiv temple in Mumbai on August 12, 1997. The case was a high-profile one, and the investigation that followed was led by none other than Rakesh Maria, the then Commissioner of Police, Mumbai.
In a recent interaction with Raj Shamani, Maria revealed a shocking detail about the events that led up to Kumar’s murder. According to Maria, he had received a tip-off from an informant in April 1996, a full 16 months before Kumar’s murder, that Abu Salem, a notorious gangster, was planning to shoot Kumar outside a Shiv temple.
Maria’s immediate response was to alert someone who was close to Kumar, and that someone was none other than film director Mahesh Bhatt. Maria called Bhatt and asked him to warn Kumar about the potential threat to his life. “I called Mahesh Bhatt and said, ‘Tell Gulshan not to leave his house today. I’m speaking to the crime branch, and we will provide protection to him’,” Maria recalled.
It’s worth noting that Maria’s warning to Bhatt was not just a casual conversation. It was a serious alert, based on credible intelligence that suggested a real and present danger to Kumar’s life. Unfortunately, despite Maria’s warning, Kumar did eventually leave his house on the fateful day of his murder, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The question that arises is, why did Kumar ignore the warning, and what were the circumstances that led to his tragic demise? While we may never know the full details, Maria’s revelation provides a glimpse into the events that preceded Kumar’s murder.
Gulshan Kumar was a prominent figure in the Indian music industry, and his company, T-Series, was a major player in the market. He had also ventured into film production, and his company had produced several successful films. However, Kumar’s success had also made him enemies, and there were several people who had a grudge against him.
One of the main suspects in Kumar’s murder was Abu Salem, who was a close associate of gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Salem had allegedly been in touch with Kumar, and had even visited him at his office on several occasions. However, the relationship between the two had soured, and Salem had allegedly become angry with Kumar over a business deal that had gone sour.
The investigation into Kumar’s murder was one of the most high-profile cases in Indian history, and it was led by Rakesh Maria himself. The case was complex, with several twists and turns, and it took several years to finally bring the perpetrators to justice.
In the end, it was Abu Salem who was convicted of Kumar’s murder, along with several other accomplices. Salem was extradited from Portugal in 2005, and he was subsequently tried and convicted in India. He is currently serving a life sentence in an Indian prison.
The story of Gulshan Kumar’s murder is a tragic one, and it serves as a reminder of the dangers of the underworld and the importance of taking threats seriously. Rakesh Maria’s revelation about the warning he gave to Mahesh Bhatt is a chilling reminder of the events that led up to Kumar’s tragic demise.
In conclusion, the story of Gulshan Kumar’s murder is a complex and intriguing one, with several twists and turns. While we may never know the full details of the events that led up to his death, Rakesh Maria’s revelation provides a glimpse into the circumstances that preceded the tragedy. It’s a reminder of the importance of taking threats seriously, and the need for vigilance in the face of danger.
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