Mumbai Police awaiting Ravi Pujari's custody

Bengaluru: With gangster Ravi Pujari been extradited to India from Senegal, Mumbai Police are now keen to interrogate him for his alleged role in at least 50 cases, most of them of extortion, pending against him in police stations in the city and nearby Thane, police said on Monday.

Pujari, who had been wanted in many heinous crimes, was brought to Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday from the west African country.

Earlier in the day, the court of the first Additional City Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) in Bengaluru remanded Pujari to police custody till March 7.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told reporters on Monday night that the police will later seek custody of Pujari.

“Once the Karnataka Police completed their interrogation of Pujari, we will seek his custody. We are in touch with the Karnataka Police,” he said.

According to Crime Branch sources, Mumbai Police had sent a letter in English to Senegal seeking custody of Pujari after his arrest.

“However, they demanded a letter in French and handed over Pujari”s custody to Karnataka Police. We have sent the letter in French,” an official said.

He said stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was slapped against Pujari in at least 25 cases.