Gangster Suresh Pujari now under Maharashtra ATS custody; to be produced in Thane court

Gangster Suresh Pujari, who is wanted in several extortion cases has been deported to India from the Philippines and is currently in the custody of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad. Suresh Pujari was deported to Delhi on Tuesday, where his custody was taken by Intelligence Bureau (IB) and CBI officials, said State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil. 

Pujari is now under the custody of  Maharashtra ATS and will be produced in the Thane court today. The ATS will seek Pujari's remand to investigate the extortion cases against him, Patil added. 

Suresh Pujari is wanted in extortion cases in Mumbai and Karnataka and several other places like Thane, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar, and Dombivli. The Mumbai and Thane police had issued red-corner notices against him in 2017 and 2018 respectively after several extortion cases surfaced against him. 

The gangster, who is also a close relative of Ravi Pujari was on the run for over 15 years and was nabbed in the Philippines in October. Overall, the authorities have registered  23 extortion cases against him in Thane. Suresh Pujari separated from gangster Ravi Pujari in 2007 and fled abroad. He initially started working with underworld don Chhota Rajan and Ravi Pujari and later formed his own gang, according to officials.  

Ravi Pujari arrested

Earlier, fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari was arrested and brought to Mumbai. The 59-year-old gangster was on the run since 1994 before he was arrested in Senegal last year. Mumbai Police had sought his custody in connection with the 2016 Ghazali Hotel firing case. Ravi Pujari is wanted in 49 cases, which includes charges of murder, attempt to murder, and extortion.

He was extradited to India from Senegal in February 2020 was kept in Karnataka jail, as he was being tried in the state. He has the most number of cases registered against him in Karnataka. Special MCOCA court had earlier convicted 10 members from his gang in 2018 for threatening to kill producer-director Mahesh Bhatt and his family members. 

Image: PTI/Republic