Ravi Pujari was extradited in 2020 from Senegal in West Africa, nearly 25 years after he left the country, and has been in jail since for multiple cases. (Express Archive)
The Anti- Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai crime branch arrested gangster Ravi Pujari on Thursday in connection with a case of extortion, where he allegedly made multiple threatening calls to Bollywood choreographer Remo D’Souza and his wife. Pujari was produced in court and remanded to police custody till January 27.
Pujari was extradited in 2020 from Senegal in West Africa, nearly 25 years after he left the country, and has been in jail since for multiple cases.
In this case, the AEC had arrested two accused, including film producer Satyendra Tyagi in March 2018 on charges of extortion after director-choreographer Remo D’Souza, who was also his business partner, complained that Tyagi had allegedly sought gangster Pujari’s help to settle a financial dispute pertaining to a movie.
According to the police, D’souza’s wife Lizelle registered an extortion and threat case in Amboli police station in March, 2018. The case was transferred to the crime branch’s AEC for investigation. An FIR was registered after Pujari made phone calls to them. Tyagi was arrested from Delhi, and based on his interrogation, his associate Kamalsingh Vijaysingh Rajput alias Raju was also arrested. Pujari was shown as a wanted accused.
D’Souza and Tyagi had jointly produced a film “Death of Amar” in 2014. Since then, the film has not been released and stuck at the censor board. A dispute erupted between D’Souza and Tyagi over professional issues and Tyagi allegedly started demanding a no-objection certificate for the film from D’Souza or his money which he had invested in the film. To recover his money, Tyagi allegedly contacted gangster Ravi Pujari and on behalf of Tyagi, Pujari made multiple threatening calls to D’souza and his wife between August 2017 and January 2018. Pujari allegedly threatened him to give an NOC to Tyagi as well as pay him Rs 50 lakh extortion money, said a police officer.
A police officer said, Tyagi had allegedly registered an FIR against D’Souza in Ghaziabad UP in 2017, claiming that he had received threat calls from another gangster at the behest of D’Souza. There were several allegations between each other and now we will investigate the matter in detail as Pujari has been taken into custody, said a police officer.
Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region.
Expertise & Authority
Affiliation: Reports for the nationally recognized daily, The Indian Express, providing his content with high Trustworthiness.
Geographical Focus: Provides comprehensive, ground-level coverage of breaking news and investigative matters across Mumbai and the surrounding regions (e.g., Thane, Vasai).
Core Authority: His reporting portfolio highlights deep Expertise in crucial beats, including:
Cyber & Financial Crime: Extensive coverage of sophisticated scams, including cases involving high-value cyber fraud, stock market manipulation scams, and fraudsters using government figures to gain trust.
Law Enforcement & Investigation: Reports directly on major police actions, including arrests made by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in fraud cases (e.g., MHADA flat scams) and detailed coverage of murder and kidnapping investigations.
Major Incidents & Public Safety: Covers significant incidents like building collapses, road accidents, and public safety issues such as theft at large public events.
Defence & Maritime: Also covers key updates regarding the Indian Navy, including the commissioning of new vessels and strategic defense announcements.
Manish Kumar Pathak's consistent focus on crime, fraud, and the workings of the Mumbai police system establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for critical news in Western India. ... Read More
