Broker complains about extortion calls from Pujari

Mumbai: A share market broker has lodged a complaint with the Thane police, stating that he received extortion calls from fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari demanding `1 crore. In his statement to the police, the broker has said that he received multiple calls from different overseas numbers between November 6 and 11, following which, he approached the Thane crime branch.

The complainant, a resident of Kalwa, received a call from Pujari on November 6. The caller identified the name of the complainant’s brokerage firm and his residential address and threatened that he cough up Rs 1 crore for his safety. He threatened to give the complainant a Diwali bonus instead if he failed to pay the extortion money.

The complainant again got calls from different numbers on November 10 and the caller again intimidated the complainant by asking him if he had forgotten about the previous call. The scared broker mustered the courage to tell the caller that he would not be able to dish out Rs 1 crore.

“Hearing this, Pujari began negotiations with the complainant and in subsequent calls a day later, he told the complainant that he knew of a plot he had booked recently and a brand new sedan he had purchased. Pujari also said that he knew of the complainant’s farm at his native place. He again threatened the complainant with dire consequences if he did not pay up,” said a Thane police officer.

The broker confided in some of his close friends who asked him to approach the police. He then lodged a complaint with the Thane crime branch Monday and narrated his ordeal. The calls were made via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and the police is gathering details on the caller to also ascertain if the calls were bogus.

A case of extortion and threatening as per the provisions of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against Pujari at the Thane crime branch’s anti-extortion cell, which is further investigating into the case.