Seven Pujari gang members get 10 years in jail for conspiring to kill bizman

Mumbai The special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court on Friday sentenced seven members of the Suresh Pujari and Prasad Pujari gang to ten years imprisonment for conspiring to murder a businessman for not fulfilling Suresh Pujari’s demands of extortion money of ₹10 crore

Mumbai The special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court on Friday sentenced seven members of the Suresh Pujari and Prasad Pujari gang to ten years imprisonment for conspiring to murder a businessman for not fulfilling Suresh Pujari’s demands of extortion money of ₹10 crore. The special court has imposed a fine of ₹15 lakh on them.

Apart from documentary and other evidence, chief public prosecutor Jaisingh Desai examined 33 witnesses, including the approver, to bring home the guilt of the convicts (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The convicts, Prakash Bichal, Mubashir Sayyad, Gautam Mehta, Chhotelal Jaiswar, Krishna Khandagale, Naresh Shetty and Ravi Gaikwad. The eighth accused in the case had turned approver and has been granted pardon by the court. Apart from documentary and other evidence, chief public prosecutor Jaisingh Desai examined 33 witnesses, including the approver, to bring home the guilt of the convicts.

As per the prosecution case, Suresh Pujari had called the Chembur-based finance broker on September 14, 2015, and demanded ₹10 crore in two days. Again, on September 16, 2015, and September 18, 2015, Pujari called and confronted him over the demand. After the third call, the complainant approached the police and reported the threatening calls.

The police later obtained call records and arrested Bichal and Sayyad after a month. After their arrest, police arrested other accused for the roles played by them in the commission of the crime. It was stated that Bichal and Mehta were in direct contact with Pujari and were handling the gang’s activities in Mumbai. Sayyad came in touch with Bichal in jail in 2010 and started working with him, whereas Jaiswar was a childhood friend of Bichal.

The prosecution claimed that Shetty and Gaikwad transferred money through the approver to Pujari, and as the businessman did not succumb to the pressure, the gang had conspired to kill him. For this, the prosecution claimed that funds were arranged by Mehta and the approver.

The special court accepted the prosecution evidence and held seven of the eight accused guilty of the charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy and granted a pardon to the approver for full and true disclosure of the facts.

While convicting the accused court said, the accused had hatched the conspiracy with the wanted accused to extort money from the businessman by putting him in the fear of death. Also, the court said that it was proved that the accused had also planned to murder the businessman for not fulfilling their demands.