Gangster Ravi Pujari remanded in police custody till March 9

Mumbai: Underworld gangster Ravi Pujari was remanded to police custody till March 9 by the special court for Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) on Tuesday.

Earlier, Pujari was brought to India from South Africa in February last year after being on the run for several years and was lodged in a jail in Bengaluru.

An order was issued by a special court in Bangalore last Saturday that enabled his custody. The Mumbai police had produced documents before the Bangalore court. The documents included permission granted by Senegal authorities for investigation in his Mumbai cases and also a production warrant issued for his production before a Mumbai court.

Pujari was extradited to India in February 2020 but was taken to Karnataka, where he had the most cases registered against him. Last week, the special court granted permission to the Mumbai Police to take him in custody in a case of firing outside Gajalee Hotel on October 22, 2016 in Vile Parle.

Pujari was also wanted in 51 cases in Mumbai, including murder, extortion and shootouts over the past 24 years. Out of the 51 cases, Mumbai Police have invoked the provisions of MCOCA in 20.

Pujari, hailing from Udupi in Karnataka, ran an extortion racket from abroad that targeted businessmen and film personalities.

A special team will interrogate Pujari on the cases against him in Mumbai. He will be kept in lockup at the police headquarters at Crawford Market.