Fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari on Monday has been sent to 14 days police custody by a local court in Bengaluru for an investigation into several criminal cases against him.
The 52-year-old underworld don Ravi Pujari was brought to India earlier in the day from Dakar in Senegal via Paris.
“First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate V. Jagadish remanded Pujari in 14-day police custody till March 7 for interrogation and investigation into the criminal cases filed against him over the years,” Karnataka Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) AK Pandey told IANS.
“Pujari was produced before the first additional city metropolitan magistrate after a medical check-up at a state-run hospital showed him in good health for custodial interrogation till March 7,” he said.
A 4-member Karnataka police team led by AK Pandey comprising Bengaluru joint commissioner of police Sandeep Patil, a sub-inspector and a constable went to Senegal last week to extradite Pujari after his plea against sending him back to India in Senegal’s Supreme Court was rejected.
The team brought the fugitive don in an Air France flight during the wee hours and kept him at an interrogation centre in Bengaluru’s south-east suburb.
“Pujari was produced before the first additional city metropolitan magistrate after a medical check-up at a state-run hospital showed him in good health for custodial interrogation till March 7,” Pandey told.
He further recalled that Pujari was lodged in a Senegal jail since January 2019 after the local police trapped him at a barber’s saloon in Dakar. There he was hiding in the guise of a retail hotel chain owner in the name of Anthony Fernandes.
Pandey also clarified that Pujari was not hiding in a South Africa village as reported but he was in Senegal jail pending extradition to India.
“As Pujari is fit, the investigation team will quiz him from Tuesday at a high-security place to ascertain his involvement in several cases pending against him,” he added.
There are over 200 cases pending against Pujari in southern states. As per the reports, 39 cases are in Bengaluru, 36 in Mangaluru, 11 in Udupi on the west coast and one each at Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Kolar and Shivamogga in Malnad.
There are 49 cases in Mumbai while 75 in Gujarat relating to extortion, kidnapping, ransom demand and murder threats.
Pujari had also allegedly extorted huge amounts from popular Bollywood stars and realtors. He was also involved in an attempt to murder case of a prominent lawyer in Mumbai.