'Did you see the Bhiwandi shootout? I'll put a bullet in you'

A CCTV grab from the attack at KN Park Hotel on January 10

Suresh Pujari gang's most recent attack is all over the news, but instead of keeping a low profile, the mobster is using his notoriety to drive terror into the heart of his next targets. One of these targets is a 55-year-old businessman from south Mumbai, who got a call from Pujari, warning him to watch the footage of the shootout at a Bhiwandi hotel on January 10.

The cops are matching the call recordings to Suresh Pujari's voice samples

The businessman told the police, "He called me on the same day and asked me, 'Did you see the shootout on the news? It was done by my men.'" In his complaint, the businessman said that he had received threat calls a few days earlier as well, but did not take it seriously. "At first, when Pujari demanded R50 lakh from me, I thought it might be a prank call, but then he started abusing me and said he would put bullets in me. He said he knew my son too," said the complainant.

Also read: Two gun-toting masked men barge into Bhiwandi hotel, shoot receptionist

The victim disconnected the call, but Pujari called back and asked, "Why are you disconnecting my calls, don't you love your life? Have you heard how many people I have shot in Ulhasnagar? If you are dare to avoid my calls without paying up, you can imagine the consequences."

The businessman said Pujari threatened to kill him during his daily commute to his office in south Mumbai. The gangster allegedly said, "You will take an hour and 15 minutes from Ulhasnagar to Fort, and I will shoot you in that duration." The businessman stopped receiving the calls out of fear, but after he complained to the Mumbai crime branch and Thane police, the cops instructed him to record the calls. On the basis of these recordings, the police will now verify whether the caller was indeed Pujari.

"We have lodged an FIR against the caller under Sections 387 and 34 of the IPC. We have procured the caller's voice samples recorded by the victim and are matching it with Pujari's voice sample," said an officer. Another officer added, "The caller has called the victim between January 6 and 16. He contacted the businessman around 15 times, but most times, the victim did not take his call due to fear."

The Bhiwandi attack
On January 10, two masked men barged into KN Park Hotel on the Bhiwandi-Kalyan highway and shot at the receptionist. The Kongaon police have booked Pujari in the case. Investigations have revealed that one of the owners of the hotel was receiving extortion calls from Pujari, demanding Rs 25 lakh.

15
Approximate number of calls from Pujari to the businessman

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