Police invoke MCOCA against Pujari gang members

THANE: The city police have invoked the stringent

MCOCA

against the four henchmen of the fugitive gangster Suresh Pujari, who were
arrested for firing at a receptionist of KN park hotel on Bhiwandi road earlier this year.


The four accused are identified as Harish Kotian, 30, Sanket Dalvi, 25, Prathmesh Kadam, 22 and Aniket Thakur, 25.

The quartet were initially arrested by the Mumbai crime branch as the Thane police had failed to nab them after committing the crime under their jurisdiction, later the four were transferred and have been in jail since then.

"Considering the nature of crime and their alliance with the fugitive gangster, the police decided to invoke MCOCA," said Pradeep Sharma, the senior inspector of the anti extortion cell.

The police said that the gang members had meticulously planned the operation to create fear after on behest of Pujari, who had called up
the owner of KN park hotel demanding Rs 25 lakh as ransom since the past two years.

"He had last year filed a complaint with Hill Line police in

Ulhasnagar

, where he resides. The owner did not heed to the threat calls and hence on 10 January, the hencemen masked came to KN park hotel and shot on the thighs of receptionist Swara Shirsath 25, with illegal fire arm," said Rajkumar Kothmire, the police inspector of Anti Extortion Cell.

Kothmire informed that following the sustained interrogation by Vikas Ghodke and other team members, the quartet confessed to have crime in three other cases.

“They have confessed working for the Pujari gang and their involvement is confirmed in two extortion cases of Dombivali and one case of Kalyan,” Kothmire informed TOI.

The police have not ruled out their involvement in the other cases as well which shall be ascertained in the further probe, hence they were produced in the special MCOCA court which remanded them to the custody till July 10.

"There are certain things that needs to be probed hence, we have taken custody to investigate the same," said Kothmire.