Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Feb 24: Notorious underworld fugitive Ravi Poojary, wanted in a number of cases of murder, extortion, death threat etc since the last three decades, has finally been brought to the city. The police have heaved a sigh of relief at this development, as their efforts since the last 18 months to get him deported from Senegal have finally paid dividends.

Because of the absence of an exchange treaty between Senegal and India, the issue was hanging fire and finally the court in that country had handed over Poojary to Bengaluru police two days back after legal hitches were cleared.

Ravi, who arrived at 12.40 am on Monday by flight, is being questioned at Madivala. He is likely to be produced in the court today. Ravi faces 39 cases in Mangaluru and 38 in Bengaluru. Many of them pertain to posing death threats, making extortion calls etc. Legislators Tanveer Sait, H M Revanna and former MLA Anil Lad, are among those who were threatened by him of death if they failed to pay up the money he demanded.

Ravi Poojary is a native of Malpe. He went to Mumbai at a young age and got involved with underworld and criminal activities. He had risen to notoriety by murdering Bala Jwala and later had joined underworld fugitive Chota Rajan gang. In 1990, he had escaped to Dubai. From there, he had threatened Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan besides director Karan Johar, and producer Rakesh Roshan. He had also got involved with the murder of Omprakash Kureja through his henchmen at Mumbai and tried to finish off some builders who did not heed to his demand to pay extortion money, it is said.