Abu Salem

Abu Salem ( pronunciation  AH-boo sah-LEHM;, born Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari; also known as Aqil Ahmed Azmi, Captain and Abu Samaan, among others; is a gangster originally from Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh state of India. He tried his hand on different labour works before joining organized criminal activities in Mumbai under Dawood gang. He was involved in several murder, extortion and other cases. He was later arrested in 2002 in Portugal and extradited to India. He was tried and convicted in some cases and was awarded life imprisonment in 2015.

Early life

Abu Salem was born in 1969 (according to the CBI; although the Mumbai police says, 1962; some reports suggests 1968) in a lower-middle-class family in Sarai Mir village of Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh. He was a second among four brothers. Though some reports maintain that he was the eldest of four brothers. His father was a lawyer by profession who was killed in a road accident. He started a small mechanic shop in his home town to support his family. He studied in a primary school and left the village after completing his inter college. He moved to Delhi, where he worked as a taxi driver. In 1985, he came to Mumbai to earn livelihood. He worked as a bread delivery boy between Bandra and Andheri; later worked at a garment shop in Andheri West in 1986. Later he became a real estate broker, operated from Arasa Market in Andheri West in 1987. In 1988, he assaulted a colleague over a monetary issue and the first case against him was registered at Andheri police station. In the meantime, he married Samira Jumani, a girl from Jogeshwari, from whom he divorced later. He has two sons from her. He loved film and reportedly named his sons after Bollywood actors. His elder brother Abu Hatim, also known as Chunchun miyan, owns a shop in his native village.