Ravi Pujari taken to Maharashtra in 15-day police custody

Gangster Ravi Pujari was taken to Maharashtra on Monday after police from that state obtained his custody for 15 days.

Maharashtra police secured Pujari's custody after taking a body warrant from a Bengaluru court, said a source in the Central Crime Branch (CCB).

Maharashtra police had been waiting to question Pujari in custody about criminal cases registered against him in their state, and had been in touch with Bengaluru cops.

Born in Malpe, Dakshina Kannada, but raised in Mumbai, Pujari was brought to Bengaluru from Senegal in February last year. He is believed to be involved in 97 cases across Karnataka, including 47 cases in Bengaluru. He is accused of crimes that include murder, extortion and threatening. He was recently shifted to Victoria Hospital due to health complications but was discharged.

Bengaluru police have finished the investigation into major cases registered against Pujari and charged him. Only a few cases are still pending investigation.

According to a source in the CCB, while the number of cases registered against Pujari in Maharashtra may be lower than that registered in Karnataka, police in that state want to detect his links with the Mumbai underworld and crackdown on his associates.

Maharashtra police may also approach the court seeking an extension of Pujari's custody after 15 days, the source added.