• 7.30 am: Sugarfree tea

• 8 am-10 am: Head and body massage followed by a hot water bath

• 10.30 am: Breakfast of milk, biscuits, poha/upma/idli

• 11 am: Meet visitors

• 1-1.30 pm: Home cooked lunch

• 2-4 pm: Siesta

• 4 pm: Sugarfree coffee

• 4.30-6 pm: Meetings

• 6 pm: Back to cell

For Chhota Rajan aide and gangster D K Rao, life is fairly uncomplicated. Inside the high-security Arthur Road Jail, in addition to his daily massage, home cooked meals and sugar-free beverages, he gets ample time in the evenings to meet his associates and keep a tab on his operations that, the police believe, range from contract killings to extortion.

Details of Rao’s good life in cell No 3 of the jail’s “Anda Cell” came to light after a Mumbai police crime branch team arrested one of his key hitmen, Ganesh Bikhaji Sawant (alias Sonu), from near the Arthur Road Jail moments after he came out of a meeting with his boss inside.

The police believe Rao had “assigned” him a contract killing of a builder. A revolver loaded with 3 rounds was also recovered from him.

“We have arrested Sawant who had been told by someone to meet Rao and carry out an operation in Mumbai. We cannot reveal who that person is… nor would we like to disclose what was Sawant up to,” said Mumbai police crime branch DCP (Detection) Dhananjay Kamlakar. During questioning, Sawant spoke in great detail about Rao’s daily routine and the manner in which he conducts his operations from inside the jail. For instance, whenever Rao moves out of his cell, he is escorted by four of Rajan’s shooters—Satish Kaliya, Vishnu Korgaonkar, Pravin and Gautam. Sawant was recruited by Satish Kaliya.

... contd.