Fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari, who is wanted for several crimes such as murder and extortion, was brought back to India from west African country Senegal in the early hours of Monday, PTI reported. The police said Pujari was escorted from Senegal through France to Bengaluru in Karnataka.
“Yes, we have brought him,” an unidentified police official said. The fugitive was reportedly caught in South Africa during a joint operation by the local police and Senegal security forces. He was later extradited to Senegal.
Following his arrest, a team of Indian police officials, which included Karnataka’s Additional Director General of Police Amar Kumar Pandey and Bengaluru Joint Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil, reached Senegal to bring him to India. Pujari was brought to Bengaluru after completion of the extradition procedure.
The gangster, escorted by a team of police officials, landed at the Kempegowda International Airport, reported The Hindu. He he was taken to an undisclosed location amid heavy security. He was kept at the interrogation centre at a forensic science laboratory in Bengaluru, and a medical examination was conducted.
Pujari, who is involved in more than 70 criminal cases, is likely to be produced in court and taken into custody for more interrogation.
The gangster was reportedly operating extortion rackets in Karnataka and other parts of India. Last year, he was arrested by Senegal’s security forces but the Indian authorities were unable to arrest him as a local court in the country had granted him bail. Following this, Pujari skipped bail and fled to South Africa.
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