Mumbai:
Vinod Goverhandas Asrani is not new to the underworld or its operations, and neither is he unacquainted with incarceration.
It is not surprising, then, that Asrani is a man of many names, with Vinod Bookie, Vinod Chembur and Vinod Sindhi being just a few of his aliases.
Being based in Chhota Rajan's bastion of Chembur gave the small-time bookie the perfect platform for his meteoric rise into match fixing and his eventual proprietorship of a real estate conglomerate.
"Given Asrani's history, I wouldn't be surprised if he had given the money to kill J Dey. Nobody in Chembur has the money or clout that Asrani has," said a senior crime branch officer, on condition of anonymity.
Infamous for being one of the first bookies in Mumbai, Asrani started off from Chembur.
He developed an acquaintance and then a friendship with Chhota Rajan in the early 90s, which aided him in fulfilling his ambitions.
Asrani was first netted when the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Crime Branch raided his betting hideout at Laxmi Nagar in Chembur in July 1997.
That did not, however, put Asrani on the backfoot and his name cropped up in one of the biggest cricket-betting scandals that claimed the careers of many prominent international cricketers.
A syndicate of bookies including Asrani, Ashok Royale, Bada Omar and Chotta Omar had allegedly made close to Rs 400 crore from the racket.
But Asrani seemed to find a way out of prison each time, said police sources. After being released that time, Asrani followed underworld gangsters and decided to legitimise his illegal income by floating a real estate firm under the name of Safal. His name is a dreaded one even in realty circles.
"In 1998, there was a tender for four plots in Navi Mumbai. Asrani had filled the tender and he made Chhota Rajan call every other builder interested in the plot, asking them to back off. Asrani won the plot unopposed," said a builder, requesting anonymity.
Asrani also dabbled in financing and would give loans to builders at an interest of five to six per cent per month. "Builders used to go to him as he would give them money on the spot.
But then his interest rates were very high, which many couldn't afford and ended up losing all that they had mortgaged," said a builder from Navi Mumbai.
Asrani facilitated the appropriation of funds extorted from builders in Tilak Nagar, Chembur and other areas at the behest of Pradip Madgaonkar alias Bandya Mama and made sure they found their way into the accounts of Rajan's family members.
Using Rajan's clout, Asrani went about expanding his real estate business and the Safal Group swelled to include nine subsidiary firms.
In December 2005, Asrani was arrested under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act along with Chotta Rajan's wife Sujata Nikhalje and their accomplices. Crime Branch sources said that Asrani was aiding Rajan in legitimising money earned from extortion.
According to builders, Asrani has most of his projects in the Navi Mumbai and Chembur areas. One of his most famous housing projects is Safal Twins in Chembur. The 20-storey towers are also home to Asrani, who has kept the entire first-floor of one of the high-rises for himself.