Fugitive underworld operative Ravi Pujari reaches Bengaluru from Senegal

Bengaluru, Feb 24: Fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari who is wanted in many heinous crimes, including extortion and murder and been on the run for over 20 years, was brought in the early hours of today from Senegal via France to Bengaluru, police said.

"Yes, we have brought him," a police officer told PTI requesting anonymity.

The gangster was nabbed in South Africa in a joint operation by the SA police and Senegal security agencies and was later extradited to Senegal, said police sources.

On learning about his arrest in Senegal, a team of police officers, including Additional Director General of Police Amar Kumar Pandey and Bengaluru Joint Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil went to Senegal to bring him.

The team completed the extradition process and finally brought him to Bengaluru by an Air France flight.

The police had issued several red corner notices against him, following which he was arrested in Senegal last year. But owing to a technical problem, the court granted him bail.

The don was again arrested by the Senegal authorities last year and the India police tried it's best to catch hold of him but failed as a local court there granted him bail. The gangster then jumped the bail and fled Senegal and had holed up in South Africa, said police sources.

The gangster, who was earlier working with Chhota Rajan and Dawood Ibrahim, split up and started his own gang.

The gang, which operated in Bengaluru and Mangaluru, would gather information about wealthy people and hand it over to Pujari. He would then call the businessmen demanding protection money by dropping details of their property, business, and family members. He would also threaten them by opening fire.

According to reports, the accused has over 200 cases against him in India, including murder, attempt to murder and extortion. Ninety of those cases are in Karnataka, including 39 in Bengaluru and 36 in Mangaluru.

The most well known of them include the murder of builder Om Prakash Kukreja and an attempt on the life of advocate and MP Majeed Memon.