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Abu Salem Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 3, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1962 (Mumbai Police) / 1969 (CBI)

Age62 (Mumbai Police, as of 2024) / 55 (CBI, as of 2024)

BirthplaceSarai Mir village, Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India

ProfessionGangster, Terrorist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseSamira Jumani (m.1991), Sayed Kausar Bahar (m.2014)

FamilyFather (lawyer, deceased); brothers include Abu Hatim (Chunchun miyan), Abu Jaish, Abu Lais; two sons (from Samira Jumani)

Net worth55 billion INRs ($0.67 billion)

Abu Salem Biography

Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari is an Indian national from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, who rose from modest origins to become a controversial figure linked to D

Early life and background

Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari was born in the Sarai Mir village of Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh. Sources differ on his year of birth: Mumbai Police records list 1962 while the CBI records list 1969. He attended primary school in his village and completed education up to the 12th standard. His family background was lower-middle-class; he was the third of four brothers and his father worked as a lawyer before dying in a road accident. To support the family he ran a small mechanic shop in his hometown before leaving for Delhi, where he worked as a taxi driver.

Career

Salem moved to Mumbai in 1985 and initially worked in modest jobs, including as a bread delivery worker and later at a garment shop in Andheri West. By 1987 he was operating as a real estate broker in the Arasa Market area of Andheri West. An early police record from 1988 notes an assault complaint at Andheri police station related to a financial dispute.

Around 1989 Salem established contact with Dawood Ibrahim and began working for the D-Company organization. His duties included driving and delivering weapons, cash and goods for the group, roles that earned him a reputation and the nickname Abu Samaan. Over time he became involved in managing film financing and Bollywood-related deals on behalf of the organization, a responsibility attributed to his ability to handle negotiations and relationships within the film industry.

By the early 1990s Salem's activities and associations had escalated. He is reported to have played a role in supplying weapons and to have been active in the period of the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts. He left India in 1993 and relocated to Dubai, where he set up a business called Kings of Car Trading. Within D-Company he rose in prominence with backing from Anees Ibrahim, but tensions later developed between him and Dawood Ibrahim; Salem is reported to have been sidelined and eventually parted ways with Dawood in 1998.

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s Salem has been linked to numerous violent incidents and criminal allegations. He is widely associated with organized crime activities, and his name appears in a series of criminal cases spanning murder, attempted assassinations, extortion and other offenses involving prominent members of the film industry and business figures. He was arrested with actress Monica Bedi by Interpol in Lisbon in September 2002. Portugal cleared his extradition in February 2004, and he was handed over to Indian authorities in November 2005.

Legal proceedings and imprisonment

Following his return to India, Salem faced multiple charges. In March 2006 a special TADA court filed charges against him in connection with the 1993 blasts. He was convicted in the Pradeep Jain murder case on 16 February 2015. In September 2017 a special TADA court awarded sentences related to the 1993 Mumbai blast cases that involved him and others. He has endured attacks while incarcerated, including a shooting incident inside Taloja Central Jail in June 2013 in which he sustained injuries. In July 2024 he was transferred from Taloja Central Prison to Nashik.

Public profile

Abu Salem's personal life has also drawn public attention. He married Samira Jumani in 1991; the couple had two sons and later divorced. He is also reported to have married Sayed Kausar Bahar in 2014. Over the years his relationships with figures from the film industry, including an association with actress Monica Bedi, have been part of media coverage.

Physical description and other details

Public records list his height at approximately 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) with black hair and black eyes. His nationality is Indian and his religion is listed as Islam. He did not attend college.

Latest updates

Recent entries in public records note continuing legal and custodial developments, including the 2015 conviction in the Pradeep Jain murder case, the 2017 TADA court sentencing related to the 1993 blasts, the 2024 transfer from Taloja to Nashik prison, and other ongoing matters arising from long-standing criminal proceedings.
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Career Highlights

  1. Worked for D-Company, handling deliveries and film financing
  2. Linked to the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts and various criminal cases
  3. Arrested in Lisbon with Monica Bedi (2002) and extradited to India (2005)
  4. Convicted in the Pradeep Jain murder case (2015); involved in TADA court sentences related to 1993 blasts (2017)
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Net Worth

55 billion INRs ($0.67 billion)

Figures are editorial estimates based on publicly available reporting and may change as new information emerges.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Abu Salem born?

1962 (Mumbai Police) / 1969 (CBI)

What is Abu Salem known for?

Gangster, Terrorist

What is Abu Salem’s marital status?

Married

Who is Abu Salem married to?

Samira Jumani (m.1991), Sayed Kausar Bahar (m.2014)

What is Abu Salem’s net worth?

55 billion INRs ($0.67 billion)