Mumbai police begins process to send extradition request

On Thursday, a deputy commissioner of police approached a special court with a miscellaneous application stating that for initiating the extradition request and the extradition proceedings which may follow, an affidavit by the DCP is required to be verified and submitted to the authorities. The special court allowed the application and permitted the DCP to execute the affidavit before it.

India does not have an extradition treaty with China. An officer, however, said that not having an extradition treaty purely means that it is up to the discretion of the country whether to accept the extradition request or not. The officer added that process of sending the extradition request has begun which will include sending a dossier on Pujari along with DNA samples to prove his identity as Prasad Pujari to the Chinese authorities.

Last week, officials had said that Pujari was caught after a tip-off from the Interpol on charges of possessing fake passport when he was about to catch a flight to Shenzhen from Hong Kong. The authorities said that Pujari is married to a Chinese national and stays in Shenzhen with his family.

Authorities said that over 15 cases of extortion, one case of murder and attempt to murder cases, including one for a murder bid on a Shiv Sena functionary in Vikhroli in 2019, are pending against the gangster in Mumbai and Thane. The police had arrested Pujari’s alleged associates in the Vikhroli case.

Pujari’s mother was also arrested by the police in 2020 in an alleged extortion case. He was declared a wanted accused in the cases. Officials said that Pujari was associated with gangster Kumar Pillai, who was extradited and brought to the city in 2016.