Daijiworld Media Network - Nagpur
Nagpur, May 15: A Nagpur court has sentenced two accused to five years of rigorous imprisonment each in the case related to threatening Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and demanding crores of rupees as ransom.
The convicted accused have been identified as Jayesh Pujari alias Shakir and Afsar Pasha. The court also imposed fines on both convicts and stated that failure to pay the penalty would result in additional imprisonment.
The case came to light in January 2023 after threatening calls were made to Gadkari’s public relations office in Nagpur on January 14 and March 21.
According to investigators, the callers initially demanded a ransom of Rs 100 crore and later reduced the demand to Rs 10 crore. They allegedly threatened to kill Gadkari if the money was not paid.
The threats had triggered widespread concern in Nagpur and across the country.
During the investigation, police found that the calls had originated from the Hindalga Central Prison in Belagavi, Karnataka, where the main accused Jayesh Pujari alias Kantha was serving a jail sentence.
Investigators alleged that Pujari, with the assistance of co-accused Afsar Pasha, made the threatening calls from inside the prison.
The probe was jointly conducted by Nagpur Police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad.
Officials said investigators collected substantial evidence against the accused through call records, technical evidence, prison movement records and other related documents.
During the investigation, agencies also claimed to have found alleged links between Jayesh Pujari alias Shakir and the banned outfit Popular Front of India.
Investigators also expressed suspicion regarding his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
Police said Pujari had reportedly converted his religion a few years ago and adopted the name Shakir after conversion.
Authorities also claimed that information regarding his alleged connections with certain radical organisations had surfaced during the investigation.
The accused were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act along with charges related to extortion, criminal conspiracy, intimidation and other serious offences.
During the trial, the prosecution examined 65 witnesses, including police officers, technical experts, telecom department personnel and prison officials.
The prosecution argued before the court that the accused had hatched a planned conspiracy to issue threats and extort money.
After considering the evidence and witness testimonies, the court found both accused guilty and sentenced them accordingly.