KOCHI: As Kerala Police have finally got their hands on dreaded gangster Ravi Pujari, who has been brought here for detailed interrogation, details of several crimes are expected to tumble out of the cupboard. It’s for the first time that Kerala Police are getting custody of the notorious don who has given sleepless nights to Karnataka and Maharashtra Police.
Initially, Kerala Police found it almost incredible to link Pujari with the salon shooting case, since they believed an underworld figure of his stature wouldn’t waste time and effort on a small fry like this. But later on, evidence indicated that Pujari was eyeing alleged unaccounted money believed to be possessed by actor Leena Maria Paul.
Reports of Pujari’s statement to the Crime Branch team earlier that two top Kerala Police officers had taken money from him as part of a deal involving a businessman in the state had set off a storm.No ordinary criminal, Pujari is wanted in over 200 criminal cases including murder and extortion. The 51-year-old was arrested in Senegal and extradited to India in February last year. He was living in Senegal under the alias of Anthony Fernandes, a businessman.
Hailing from Udupi, Pujari cut his teeth in crime after moving to then Bombay at a very young age. His association with gangster Chhota Rajan after killing Rajan’s rival Bala Zalte in the 1980s gave him notoriety in underworld circles. Police records show his involvement in crimes in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and other states.
However, rivalry between Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan after the Mumbai serial blasts of 1993 forced Pujari to branch out on his own. He started running extortion rackets and kidnapping gangs from 2012. There are 97 extortion cases against Pujari in Karnataka. He has also targeted several Bollywood personalities.