Abu Salem
Abu Salem (/ˈɑːbuː sɑːˈlɛm/ ⓘ AH-boo sah-LEM; born Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari), also known as Aqil Ahmed Azmi and Abu Samaan, is an Indian criminal gangster and terrorist from Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, Central India. 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.
Abu Salem | |
|---|---|
| Born | Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari 1962 (age 61–62) Sarai Mir, Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Aqil Ahmed Azmi, Captain, Abu Samaan |
| Citizenship | India |
| Occupation | Leader of organized crime |
| Criminal status | In prison |
| Spouses | Samira Jumani
(m. 1991, divorced)Monica Bedi (partner)
(m. 1999–2010) |
| Conviction(s) | Murder of builder Pradeep Jain 1993 Bombay Bombings |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
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, Rajiv Rai and Rakesh Roshan. 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 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.