Ravi Pujari had been on the run since the past two decades, and several red corner notices were issued against him. He had settled in the West African nation one and a half year ago.
Gangster Ravi Pujari
A day after reports of underworld don Ravi Pujari’s arrest in Senegal started doing the rounds, Ashutosh Dumbare, chief of the Mumbai Crime Branch officially confirmed his arrest to mid-day. According to sources, Pujari was first detained in Senegal’s capital city Dakar on January 22 after a tip-off from Indian intelligence agencies. On January 23, he was arrested by the central bureau of the Interpol.
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Dumbare told mid- day, “ We have confirmed Pujari’s arrest with our counterparts. It’s going to be a very important one for us as he was wanted in several serious cases. The latest case was registered against him just two weeks ago. It’s a big catch and will lead to a very positive impact.”
Hotelier in Senegal
In India, Pujari has cases of extortion, murder, ransom against him all over the country. Before being nabbed, Pujari had established himself as a hotelier, holding the passport of one Anthony Fernandez from Sri Lanka.
He was also allegedly running his infamous underworld racket from Senegal. Pujari had been on the run since the past two decades, and several red corner notices were issued against him. He had settled in the West African nation one and a half year ago.
After fellow don Chhota Rajan was arrested in Bali, Indonesia in 2016, Pujari left Australia, travelled to Bangkok and Morocco after which he settled in Senegal. At one point, Pujari was Rajan’s right-hand man, but the two fell out after Dawood attacked Rajan in Bangkok. Pujari was also working as a freelancer for mafia groups in West Africa.
Sources in the agencies told midday, “ After Rajan’s arrest in Bali, Pujari feared for his life. And there were also certain reports that cannot be denied about him joining hands with his ex-boss Dawood Ibrahim to secure himself from being killed by a rival gang.” On January 22, Pujari was detained while he was travelling from Burkina Faso to Dakar. His details were shared with Indian agencies for identification.
Within 24 hours of getting a confirmation, Interpol’s central bureau and the Criminal Investigation Division arrested Pujari with the Sri Lankan passport.
Agencies tracking him took the help of the Pujari community from Karnataka, which runs several hotel businesses. The inputs leading up to his detention and arrest were provided by the Bengaluru police, Mumbai police, and the Gujarat police, that wants him in the case of a local businessman’s murder, for which Pujari had claimed credit. He’d been allegedly making extortion calls to other businessmen in Gujarat after the killing.
Big impact
Sources in the Mumbai Crime Branch told mid-day, "Around 49 cases have been registered against him across the city, which includes murder, attempt to murder, extortion and firing. His arrest will have a big impact on the current underworld, and his aides who are making extortion calls in the city.” The Crime Branch is making a detailed dossier about his criminal activities in Mumbai, which will be submitted to the central government to extradite him as soon as possible.
49
No. of cases against Pujari in Mumbai
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