Gulshan Kumar's Killer, Abdul Rauf Merchant, Dies in Prison After 29 Years

• Abdul Rauf alias Dawood Merchant (60), main assailant in Gulshan Kumar's 1997 murder, died on January 8 at Harsul Central Jail.
• Gulshan Kumar, T-Series founder, was shot 16 times outside a Mumbai Shiva temple by Merchant, an associate of Abu Salem.
• Merchant was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002 and transferred to Harsul Jail in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2003.
• He absconded for eight years after being released on parole in 2009, before being re-arrested in 2016-17.
• Merchant suffered a mild heart attack on December 30, was hospitalized, and died from a severe heart attack on January 8 after returning to prison.

Why It Matters: Gulshan Kumar's killer, Abdul Rauf Merchant, died in Harsul Jail from a heart attack after 29 years.