Galajee restaurant firing accused to be shifted to Mumbai

Mumbai: A Mumbai crime branch anti-extortion cell (AEC) team on Wednesday left for Gujarat’s Anand district to take custody of two of the five accused involved in the October 2016 firing inside Gajalee restaurant located in Vile Parle. The accused are in the custody of Gujarat’s Borsad police station for their alleged involvement in firing at Corporator Pragyesh Patel in January this year.

After the Gajalee incident, which was part of an extortion bid by Ravi Pujari’s gang, the five accused fled to Gujarat to evade arrest by the police. The five, allegedly acting at the behest of Pujari, opened fire on Patel in a bid to scare him into paying the money. Of the five, while two are Borsad police’s custody, the remaining three were arrested on Monday by Mumbai crime branch.

A source said, “The crime branch has sent a team to Gujarat to get custody of two of the five henchmen of wanted gangster Ravi Pujari involved in the firing at Gajalee restaurant. The two, in Borsad police’s custody, had conducted a reconnaissance of the hotel before opening fire.”

Investigators seized the motorbike that was used to commit the crime in October 2016; it was found outside the suburban residence of Suresh Pillai, one of the two accused in Borsad police’s custody. Officials said that Pillai and the other person had fired on Patel.