Ravi Pujari arrest: Three states battle for credit

Ravi Pujari

The arrest of notorious underworld don Ravi Pujari has set off the clamour for credit by Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat. The Gujarat ATS has claimed it had tipped off the central agencies about Pujari's whereabouts in Senegal.

The Mumbai police, which has several cases against Pujari, said it had shared information regarding Pujari with the agencies concerned while the operation was executed to arrest Pujari in Senegal.

While the Karnataka government went one step ahead even before the formal announcement from the Central government and issued a detailed press release to the media.

The release said, 'Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy entrusted the task of nabbing the criminal to DG & IGP Neelamani Raju and ADGP Intelligence, Dr. Amar Kumar Pandey.

Dr. Pandey procured all relevant documents and coordinated with the National Crime Bureau, New Delhi, to expedite four pending Red Corner Notice to Interpol. He also obtained some information about a chain of restaurants in several West African countries like Guinea, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ivory Coast wherein Pujari was a partner. Pujari had obtained a new identity as Antony Fernandez and got a Burkina Faso Passport for himself, his wife and children'. The release further states, ‘ The Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat states were tormented by the notorious underworld criminal Ravi Suliya Pujari since 2001. He would employ arms to scare and to kill innocent people in Bangalore and Mangalore. The extortion targets included doctors, business people, jewelers, Bollywood personalities and politicians. Being a dreaded criminal and always afraid of his identity being exposed, he ran away to Burkina Faso.

When he appeared in Dakar, capital of Senegal, ADGP, Intelligence, alerted the Indian Embassy. Rajeev Kumar, IFS, Ambassador of India, Senegal, took up the matter with the interior Minister, Senegal.

The Interior Minister, Senegal Aly Ngouille Nbiaye and the Director of Judicial Police of Senegal Mr. Seydou Bocar Yague arrested Ravi Pujari from a barber shop.

The Senegal Police went with three busloads of armed policemen to arrest him.

The Karnataka government has instructed Dr. Amar Kumar Pandey, ADG Intelligence, to complete the necessary formalities, and bring Ravi Pujari from Senegal'.

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