MUMBAI: In a major shot in the arm for the city’s security agencies, China has given its green signal to extradite Prasad Pujari – one of the last few gangsters operating from foreign shores and wanted in several cases of extortion, threat to life and murder- and has asked the Government of India to send its extradition request in Mandarin.
The Chinese authorities gave its approval to the Ministry of Home Affairs after Pujari, on the run since 2010, was caught on the Interpol’s notice in Hong Kong last month. A team of city crime branch is now taking the help of translators in Mumbai to translate gangster Pujari’s dossier and are likely to send across the same as soon as possible.
Police have also annexed an affidavit along with Pujari’s dossier after a miscellaneous motion was presented to a special court to start the extradition process early this month. The motion was approved, and the DCP was allowed to sign the affidavit. Officials said Pujari’s file and DNA samples of his family, particularly his mother, have been annexed with the dossier to be sent to the Chinese government to establish his identity.
Police said Pujari, a former member of deported gangster Kumar Pillai, is believed to have married a Chinese national. He was about to take a flight along with his Chinese wife from Hong Kong when authorities detained him. Sources said Pujari resided in Luohu district, Shenzhen city, Guangdong province of China. “We are in the process of translating the dossier and other extradition papers in Mandarin language and hope to get his custody. He had created havoc by making a series of extortion calls in the absence of other big gangsters,” said an IPS officer, adding that there are around 15 to 20 cases, mostly of extortion, issuing threats, one case of murder and another of attempted murder in Mumbai and Thane.
In 2020, the anti-extortion cell of the crime branch had arrested one Sagar Jadhav and five others over firing on a Shiv Sena functionary. During probe, police learnt about the role of Pujari’s mother Indira (60) in the case. The crime branch later arrested her for allegedly helping her son run an extortion racket in the city.
The Chinese authorities gave its approval to the Ministry of Home Affairs after Pujari, on the run since 2010, was caught on the Interpol’s notice in Hong Kong last month. A team of city crime branch is now taking the help of translators in Mumbai to translate gangster Pujari’s dossier and are likely to send across the same as soon as possible.
Police have also annexed an affidavit along with Pujari’s dossier after a miscellaneous motion was presented to a special court to start the extradition process early this month. The motion was approved, and the DCP was allowed to sign the affidavit. Officials said Pujari’s file and DNA samples of his family, particularly his mother, have been annexed with the dossier to be sent to the Chinese government to establish his identity.
Police said Pujari, a former member of deported gangster Kumar Pillai, is believed to have married a Chinese national. He was about to take a flight along with his Chinese wife from Hong Kong when authorities detained him. Sources said Pujari resided in Luohu district, Shenzhen city, Guangdong province of China. “We are in the process of translating the dossier and other extradition papers in Mandarin language and hope to get his custody. He had created havoc by making a series of extortion calls in the absence of other big gangsters,” said an IPS officer, adding that there are around 15 to 20 cases, mostly of extortion, issuing threats, one case of murder and another of attempted murder in Mumbai and Thane.
In 2020, the anti-extortion cell of the crime branch had arrested one Sagar Jadhav and five others over firing on a Shiv Sena functionary. During probe, police learnt about the role of Pujari’s mother Indira (60) in the case. The crime branch later arrested her for allegedly helping her son run an extortion racket in the city.
