Mumbai: Gangster Ravi Pujari was brought here Tuesday from Bangalore. He was produced before a special court which remanded Tavi Pujari in the custody of Mumbai police till March 9. He has been accused in shooting case that took place in 2019.
Earlier, Pujari was brought to India from South Africa in February last year. He had been on the run for several years and was lodged in a jail in Bangalore. Before being brought to India, the gangster had been deported to Senegal in West Africa following his arrest and later extradited. Pujari was brought here from Bangalore by road Tuesday morning, a police official said.
A Mumbai police team left Saturday for Bangalore after a court in Karnataka allowed the gangster’s handover. It was in connection with the shooting that took place at a restaurant in Vile Parle area here October 21, 2016. Following the incident, a case was registered under provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Seven associates of Pujari are already in jail in this case, police earlier said. Pujari hails from Udupi in Karnataka. He ran an extortion racket from abroad that targeted businessmen and film personalities, police said.
Talking to reporters after the court order, Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Milind Bharambe said 49 cases have been registered against Pujari in various parts of the city, including on charges of murder, attempt to murder and extortion.