MUMBAI: Mumbai Police approached Senegal extradition court through external affairs ministry, seeking a clarification and to consider its request for custody of extradited gangster Ravi Pujari in pending cases here. Pujari, who was admitted to a Bengaluru hospital for a hernia operation, is now back in jail there.
MEA last month approached the Senegal court after Pujari’s lawyer filed a writ petition in a Bengaluru court that he remain with Karnataka police till trial of 10 serious cases against him is completed.
A session court in Bengaluru allowed Mumbai crime branch to take his custody on a request by a Mumbai court but Pujari’s lawyer Dilraj Sequeira moved Karnataka high court against it.
“The HC said Mumbai Police wants Pujari’s custody for 10 days regarding certain charges, which was not required, as it could be done through video-conferencing, so Mumbai Police withdrew their application. In the original order of Senegal extradition court, there was no mention of Mumbai cases,’’ said Sequeira.
Sources said Pujari does not want to be taken to Mumbai, as he fears for his life in Maharashtra jails, as there are several rival gang members and his own foot soldiers, who he had betrayed emotionally and financially. O P Singh, a Chhota Rajan member, was killed in Nashik jail, gangster Abu Salem was attacked in Taloja jail and undertrial Asghar Ali Mehendi and Rajan aide John D’Souza were killed in gang rivalry at Arthur Road jail.
Mumbai Police said out of 49 serious offences, at least in 10 Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) is applicable, and if brought to Mumbai, he will be kept in a special anda cell, in whichever jail he is taken to.
Pujari, who has more than 49 serious offences against him and his gang members, was extradited from Senegal last February.
The murder of builder Om Prakash Kukreja, 2013 killing of two employees of builder Sudhakar Shetty, attempt to murder film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, Navi Mumbai builder Suresh Wadhwa, advocate Majeed Memon are some cases in which Mumbai Police had invoked MCOCA, and had forwarded 10 cases to Senegal authorities for Pujari’s deportation after his arrest.
There are more than two dozen cases of threats to Bollywood personalities, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Rakesh Roshan, Karim Morani and an industrialist.