Gangster Prasad Pujari shifted to Hong Kong on a student visa: Police

Pujari was born and brought up in Tagore Nagar in Vikhroli East where he used to play cricket with Pillai’s close associates in Hariyali village - where Pillai lived. He was inspired by Pillai and wanted to become a dreaded one like him and be respected. Soon, Pujari started working for Pillai and became his trusted aide, said a crime branch officer

MUMBAI: The Anti-Extortion Cell of Mumbai police’s crime branch, which is interrogating gangster Prasad Pujari alias Subhash Vitthal, in several cases, including murder, learnt that the 44-year-old henchman of the Chhota Rajan gang had visited Hong Kong to meet his mentor, gangster Kumar Pillai, and later in 2005, on Pillai’s advice, he shifted to the special administrative region of China on a student visa - to study Chinese language and mass communication.

Gangster Prasad Pujari shifted to Hong Kong on a student visa: Police

On March 22, Pujari was deported from China to India after 20 years where he was staying with his wife. The crime branch and Anti-Extortion Cell, have been on his trail for some years now. He was booked in eight cases of murder, attempt to murder and extortion at Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, LT Marg police stations in Mumbai, and had earlier spent two-and-half years in jail in connection with an attempted murder case before being acquitted in September 2005 due to insufficient evidence.

Pujari was born and brought up in Tagore Nagar in Vikhroli East where he used to play cricket with Pillai’s close associates in Hariyali village - where Pillai lived. He was inspired by Pillai and wanted to become a dreaded one like him and be respected. Soon, Pujari started working for Pillai and became his trusted aide, said a crime branch officer.

Pujari further revealed that he fell in love with a Chinese girl during his college days and married her. The couple has three children aged 16 years, 9 years and 4 months.

Punari’s father-in-law was in the business of mobile accessories and therefore after the marriage he started handling his business and was in regular touch with Pillai in Hong Kong. Simultaneously, he used to make extortion calls in India to make some easy money. He invested in motels and restaurants and police said he had acquired property worth ₹40 crore in Hong Kong, said a police officer.

Police also learnt that Pujari used to provide logistical support to other Mumbai gangsters like Ravi Pujari and Chhota Rajan - whenever required and made money in that, the officer added. Pujari was extradited to India on March 22. He was arrested by the authorities in China last year in connection with a fake passport case and staying illegally in the country after expiring the validity of his visa and passport. Police said when he was arrested by Chinese authorities his wife was pregnant and four months back, she delivered a baby boy, added the officer. Pujari was then taken to Beijing where he was kept in a detention centre, awaiting further legal proceedings.

In 2019, the anti-extortion cell registered an attempt to murder case against him and eight associates after they tried to kill Shiv Sena leader Chandrashekhar Jadhav in Tagore Nagar, Vikhroli East. The incident occurred when Jadhav was sitting in his office; though the assailant fired a few rounds at him, the bullets missed the target. The anti-extortion cell arrested a total of eight people from Mumbai, Thane, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi in connection with the case, while Pujari was absconding.

Another extortion case was registered in 2020 against Pujari and his associates for threatening a Vikhroli-based builder and demanding ₹10 lakh from him. Unit 7, which was investigating the case, arrested Pujari’s cousin brother Sukesh Kumar from Mangalore and his mother Indira from Mira Road on March 11, 2020, for allegedly giving money to his men to run an extortion racket.

The crime branch sleuths learnt that she had travelled five times to China and Hong Kong from 2009 to 2016 to meet his son. There are entries of both places on her passport.