Published 19:24 IST, June 24th 2019
WATCH | "Indian govt will bring back Ravi Pujari and will punish him for his crimes": Union Minister vows
The Ministry of Home Affairs promised to bring back most wanted dons Ravi Pujari and Dawood Ibrahim, reiterating that there was no space for criminals like them to roam around freely and that the Government was in talks with foreign agencies such as Interpol to nab the notorious dons.
Hours after Republic Media Network accessed the latest pictures of India's most wanted gangster and don Ravi Pujari, who is imprisoned in West Africa's Senegal, strong reactions have poured in from the Government of India, in favour of extraditing and punishing the don for numerous crimes registered on him. The kingpin, who was arrested on 21 January, 2019, has allegedly been running his extortion racket with impunity from the West African nation.
The Ministry of Home Affairs promised to bring back most wanted dons Ravi Pujari and Dawood Ibrahim, reiterating that there was no space for criminals like them to roam around freely and that the Government was in talks with foreign agencies such as Interpol to nab the notorious dons.
The reaction to catching Ravi Pujari comes hours after Republic tracked him down Ravi Pujari and exposed photos of the don, who was settled in Dakar, Senegal. Speaking to Republic TV, Minister of State from the Home ministry G Kisan Reddy said, "We are making all the efforts to bring back Pujari. The Interpol has already issued a red-corner notice in his name. Traitors like Pujari and Dawood Ibrahim will be brought before the court and will be tried for the crimes they have committed".
Reddy also said that Pakistan is trying to shelter criminals like Dawood Ibrahim and India is making all the efforts to get him out of Pakistan, to face a trial for the crimes he has committed.
"The efforts of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured the United Nations designating Mazhoor Azhad as a global terrorist. Similarly, we are in close talks with both the American intelligence agencies and the United Nations to nab both Ibrahim and Pujari. I assure you that we will nab him(Pujari)", he added.
Ravi Pujari is wanted in a host of cases across India from Gujarat to Maharashtra to Karnataka. The long list of cases against him includes extortions, kidnapping, and murder.
As per sources, the fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari ran the hotel chain in West Africa's Senegal under the name of Antony Fernandes for close to 8 years. As per sources, he has been in Africa for over a decade where he was living a luxurious life with his wife and kids as a hotelier in Senegal's capital Dakar. In a dramatic turn of events, he was arrested from a barber shop on January 21, 2019, in what was seen as a major win for India.
Republic TV has put out a copy of Ravi Pujari's fake passport which was allegedly issued to him by the Government of Burkina Faso in West Africa on July 10, 2013. While the passport bears Ravi Pujari's picture, the name on the document is ‘Antony Fernandes’ As per the information on the passport, Pujari's date of birth is January 25, 1961 and place of birth is Mysore, Karnataka.
Updated 20:37 IST, June 24th 2019