2017 extortion case: Gangster Ravi Pujari’s aide arrested in airport

Vijay Salvi, a close aide of gangster Ravi Pujari, has been arrested at the airport in Thane for his involvement in a 2017 extortion case.

Thane: Vijay Salvi alias Vijay Tambat, who was wanted in a Thane police extortion case of 2017, was arrested on Thursday at the airport.

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“When Salvi reached the airport from UAE, the authorities caught him and handed him over to the Thane crime branch on Friday,” a police officer said.

According to the police, Salvi was a close aide of fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari. The Thane crime branch has arrested Vijay Purushottam Salvi alias Vijay Tambat and booked him under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA).

“The accused had threatened a few well-known builders to pay him around ₹10 crore using Pujari’s name. Pujari had demanded extortion money of ₹10 crore from Mahendra Pamnani of Roma Builders in 2017. The gangster had also allegedly threatened to kill Pamnani and sent sharpshooters to the builder’s office in Thane,” the officer said.

Cases have also been registered against Salvi under an attempt to murder and the Arms Act at Kasturba Marg, Samta Nagar in Mumbai and Kasarvadavli police station in Thane.