Hello Mumbai City Desk
Police Secure Ravi Pujari’s Custody in Choreographer Extortion Case
Mumbai: Mumbai Crime Branch has taken custody of gangster Raviprakash alias Ravi Pujari in connection with a 2018 extortion case involving a choreographer and a film producer, police officials said.
According to investigators, Pujari allegedly demanded ₹50 lakh after issuing threats to the choreographer and his wife. The case pertains to a financial dispute linked to a film production and related agreements.
Pujari, 56, has as many as 49 criminal cases registered against him across Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Karnataka and other regions. He was escorted to Mumbai by a gun-wielding special squad of the Crime Branch and produced before the Esplanade Magistrate Court on Thursday. The court remanded him to police custody until January 26.
This is the second instance among nine pending cases in which Mumbai Police have obtained Pujari’s custody from a Karnataka jail. Last year, the Government of Senegal granted permission to prosecute him in nine additional cases registered in Mumbai, including three under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Officials stated that Senegal had earlier permitted prosecution in 10 cases. For approval in the remaining cases, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) coordinated with Senegalese authorities and secured the necessary clearance.
The fresh case dates back to 2018, when the wife of a choreographer and film director filed a complaint against Pujari for issuing threats and demanding extortion. The dispute reportedly stemmed from a 2013 agreement between the complainant’s production house, Om Shri Ganesh Films, and accused number one, Satyendra Tyagi, for the production of the film Death of Amar.
Differences later arose over the film’s release, editing, distribution and financial arrangements. Between October 2016 and February 2018, Ravi Pujari, listed as accused number three, along with his associate Prasad Pujari, allegedly issued repeated threats to the complainant, her husband and their staff from international phone numbers.
Police claim the threats were made on behalf of Satyendra Tyagi to force the release of the film and extort ₹50 lakh as a settlement, warning of serious consequences in case of non-compliance. Tyagi and another accused, Kamalsingh Rajput alias Raju, were arrested in 2018, while Ravi Pujari was absconding at the time. Further investigation in the matter is ongoing.