Underworld don Ravi Pujari, who was on run for 15 years, arrested in Senegal

Underworld don Ravi Pujari was arrested on Thursday on Thursday in West African nation of Senegal. The development comes after the Bengaluru City Police issued a Red Corner Notice against him. With his arrest being confirmed, the Indian authorities are likely to seek pitch for his extradition with Senegalese counterparts.

Pujari is on run for past 15 years and several non-bailable warrants have been issued against him during this period.

According to some reports, Pujari was earlier hiding in Australia.

Reports suggest that he was in possession of a fake passport in the name of Anthony Fernandez when he was arrested. He is likely to be brought to India on a special flight, the report stated.

Earlier, the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police has invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against two alleged members of the Ravi Pujari gang. William Rodricks and Akash Shetty were arrested by the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) earlier this month for threatening a builder. MCOCA is usually invoked when the crime has a financial angle. Under the act, police get more time for custodial questioning than in the case of ordinary offences under the Indian Penal Code.

Rodricks was arrested from suburban Goregaon on January 15 after he allegedly demanded Rs 2 crore from the builder and also threatened his relatives.

Rodricks has at least three criminal cases registered against him at Goregaon police station earlier (as required under the MCOCA), a senior police official said Monday.

During the interrogation, he allegedly revealed that he had provided contact details of a developer to Pujari. Pujari, believed to be hiding in a foreign country, then started demanding `protection money' from the developer.

Rodricks's questioning led the police to Akash Shetty, another alleged member of the Pujari gang, who was arrested from Mangalore in Karnataka by an AEC team last week.

With PTI Inputs