The crime branch's anti-extortion cell (AEC) took Pujari's custody from the Bengaluru prison and produced him in a court in Mumbai on Thursday
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The Mumbai police have taken custody of gangster Ravi Pujari in connection with a 2018 case of attempting to extort Rs 50 lakh from choreographer Remo D'Souza and his wife, officials said on Friday, reported news agency PTI.
The crime branch's anti-extortion cell (AEC) took Pujari's custody from the Bengaluru prison and produced him in a court in Mumbai on Thursday, they said, reported PTI.
Pujari has been remanded in police custody till January 27, an official said.
The 56-year-old gangster had allegedly threatened D'Souza and his wife in 2018, demanding Rs 50 lakh from them, following a financial dispute between the choreographer and a film producer.
Pujari has 49 cases to his name in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Karnataka.
The extortion case is the second among the nine pending cases against the gangster for which his custody has been taken, the official said.
The Senegal government last year approved prosecution of the gangster in nine cases, including three in which the stringent Maharashtra Control Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) has been invoked, he said.
Gangster Ravi Pujari cleared of charges in 1999 murder linked to Dawood Gang
Last year in May, a special court in Mumbai acquitted gangster Ravi Pujari in the 1999 murder case of Anil Sharma. A verdict was sentenced on May 27, 2025 by special judge AM Patil, considering insufficient evidence to sustain the charges under the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), reported PTI.
Anil Sharma, a gang member of Dawood Ibrahim's, came into media limelight during the 1992 JJ Hospital shootout. He was shot dead in Mumbai’s Andheri suburb on September 2, 1999. According to the prosecution the murder was framed by the members of Chota Rajan gang, rooting from the serious rivalry between gangs of Rajan and Dawood Ibrahim, reported PTI.
However, the court has earlier dropped charges on Chhota Rajan from this case due to lack of prima facie evidence linked to the murder.
This acquittal marks the first judgement involving Ravi Pujari in Mumbai since his extradition from Senegal in 2020, reported PTI.
Pujari was arrested in Dakar while he was living under the alias Anthony Fernandes. For years he was escaping from the Indian authorities. Post this arrest, he has been facing multiple charges under Indian jurisdictions.
The verdict of the court also highlights the major issues faced during prosecuting cases like organised crime, where gathering evidence and witness testimonies is difficult. According to this case, the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence that would prove charges alleged not only on Pujari but also on other 11 accused.
(With inputs from PTI)
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