Ravi Pujari, who is wanted in India in a number of cases including extortion, kidnapping and murder cases, was on the run for the last 15 years.
New Delhi: The Senegal Police in West Africa have arrested gangster Ravi Pujari who is wanted in India in a number of cases including extortion, kidnapping and murder cases.
The Senegal Police were tipped off by Indian investigative agencies. However, Indian officials are yet to confirm the arrest.
According to reports, the action against the gangster was taken after the Bengaluru City Police issued a Red Corner Notice against him. He was on the run for at least 15 years.
Non-bailable warrants have been issued in several courts in India against Pujari. He was also worked with Chhota Rajan earlier. Both Pujari and Rajan came in contact with each other while working for underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's till the mid-1990s, when Dawood tried to kill Rajan.
Pujari is accused of threatening a number of Bollywood stars including Farah Khan, Mahesh Bhatt, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Rakesh Roshan, and Shah Rukh Khan.
On December 19, 2018, controversial actress Leena Maria Paul moved the Kerala high court, seeking a direction to police to provide her security, days after two men allegedly fired shots at a beauty parlour run by her. In her petition, she alleged that there was an imminent threat to her life and also her staff at the parlour.
The actress alleged that she had received internet threat calls on her mobile phone, demanding Rs 25 crore on November 3 under instructions from Pujari.
Pujari's extortion racket was hit severely when his top henchmen Dasrath Shinde was arrested in July 2017. In addition, Pujari's close aide William Albert Rodricks (21) was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch police on January 15, this year.
Rodricks was nabbed from Oshiwara area by the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Crime Branch, a police official said.
Rodricks allegedly kept Pujari informed about builders in the area who could be targeted for extortion, he said.
He came under the scanner when a Goregaon-based builder got calls from Pujari, demanding Rs 2 crore, said inspector Sachin Kadam of the AEC.
Probe revealed that it was Rodricks who had provided the builder's contact details to Pujari, he said.
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