Abu Salem

Who is Abu Salem?

Abu Salem is a gangster originally from Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, India.

He was convicted for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, and killing of India's music baron Gulshan Kumar in 1997, Indian actress Manisha Koirala's secretary, a builder and more than 50 other cases. He unsuccessfully attempted to kill Bollywood film directors Rajiv Rai and Rakesh Roshan. At one time was a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim. Before becoming a professional criminal, he worked as a driver and hawker in Mumbai. He is also wanted in India for various murder and extortion cases. On 27 June 2013, Salem was shot by Devendra Jagtap, an accused in the advocate 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.

On September 20, 2002, he was arrested by Interpol in Lisbon, Portugal. His satellite phone was tracked using GPS technology. 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 to India on the assurance by then India's Home Minister L.K.