CCB busts Ravi Pujari’s extortion racket

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) busted an extortion racket run by underworld don Ravi Pujari and arrested five members who were hatching a plan to kidnap a city-based businessman.

Those arrested in the raid—Harish, 39, Radhakrishna Shetty, 32, Sunil Bangera, 32, Keshva Pradeep Bhat, 42 and Ramesh, 32— were part of the Bangalore-based gang of Pujari and worked under Kali Yogesh, a close aide of Pujari.

The gang’s modus operandi has been this: They would collect contact details and personal details of businessmen and pass it on to Pujari through Yogesh. Pujari would pass on these details to his henchman Manish Shetty, who is in jail.

From jail, Shetty would call businessmen and threaten them. He would also call businessmen involved in land disputes and ask for money in the pretext of mediation for an amicable settlement.
Many businessmen would heed to the gang and pay ransom; those who refused to pay would be kidnapped and tortured. Pujari would pocket a lion’s share of the ransom and share the rest among his cronies, CCB officials said.

The police have confiscated two cars, lethal weapons and five mobile phones from the gang. The mobile phones will be helpful to track their previous activities, they said.