E-Paper
Karnataka: NIA registers case against convict who made threat call to Gadkari
The NIA filed an FIR against the convict, Jayesh Pujari who confessed to making a phone call to Union minister Nitin Gadkari and demanding a staggering amount of ₹100 crore
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Jayesh Pujari, a murder convict, who confessed to making a phone call to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari’s office and demanding a staggering amount of ₹100 crore. Pujari also revealed his alleged links to individuals involved in terrorism activities in Bengaluru. NIA brought this information to the attention of the NIA court last Wednesday and an FIR was registered on the same day.
Pujari, who is serving a life sentence at Hindalaga central jail in Belagavi for murder charges, made the call to the public relations office (PRO) of minister Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur on January 14. He claimed of having ties with fugitive criminal Dawood Ibrahim and threatened to kill the minister if the demanded amount was not paid to a person in Bengaluru.
The staff at Gadkari’s office received three calls from Pujari on that day at 11:25 am, 11:32 am, and 12:20 pm. Pujari claimed to be calling from Belagavi.
Upon receiving the information, the minister’s office informed the Nagpur police, who, with the assistance of the Belagavi police, visited Hindalaga jail the same night. After interrogating Pujari, a case was registered against him, and the police left for Nagpur.
However, Pujari made another call to Gadkari’s office on March 21, 2023, reiterating his demands, but this time reducing the amount to ₹10 crore. He allegedly threatened to bomb the minister’s office if the cash was not paid. Pujari mentioned the name of a person residing in Bengaluru who was supposed to receive the money.
As the investigation is still ongoing, the police have not disclosed the identity of this individual.
During interrogation, Pujari disclosed the involvement of three other individuals associated with Dawood’s gang operating from Bengaluru. The Maharashtra police subsequently referred the case to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (MATS) for further investigation. After gathering the disclosed information and evidence, Pujari was handed over to the NIA.
Following a thorough interrogation, the NIA filed an FIR against Jayesh Pujari and presented the case details to the NIA special court in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The agency has launched a widespread operation to apprehend the other gang members involved.
Jayesh Pujari, a resident of Mangaluru, was previously sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder committed in Mangaluru in 2020. He has been lodged in Belagavi jail since the same year.
According to a senior police officer close to the case, Jayesh Pujari is believed to have converted to Islam and is allegedly working for Dawood Ibrahim’s gang. “He is one of the members of Dawood’s gang in India, primarily involved in extorting money from affluent individuals,” said the police officer.
In response to the issue of illegal mobile phone usage in jail, Hindalaga jail superintendent Krishna Kumar said that Jayesh Pujari would confiscate the phones of new inmates, claiming he needed to make a call to his wife. Pujari then used these phones to contact Gadkari’s office.
Describing Pujari’s profile, Krishna Kumar referred to him as a swindler and blackmailer who has been imprisoned since 2020. “Jayesh Pujari has a history of making such calls from jail to high-ranking officials, aiming to gain attention and trouble the jail staff. Recently, he made a threatening call to ADGP Alok Kumar,” said Krishna Kumar.
