Mumbai: Is Ravi Pujari's gang behind Kurar firing?

An investigation into the firing incident in Kurar village on Saturday afternoon has led the cops to two angles — one, that it could be gangster Ravi Pujari's gang, or two, it could be the handiwork of local goon Uday Pathak.

Based on the modus operandi — where the shooters first fired in the air to scare people off and then left a letter on the ground demanding money, cops are saying that Pujari's gang members extorted money in a similar manner a few years ago.

Pujari was arrested from Senegal last year but was granted bail by the local court last year, following which he escaped. According to the police, no such incident had happened in Mumbai or the adjacent area since his arrest. But, with the gangster currently at large, cops are not ruling out the possibility of Pujari's involvement in the incident.

"If so, then this will be the first such incident in Mumbai for extortion by Pujari and his gang members since his arrest last year," a police officer said.

Back in 2015, one such incident where a couple of masked men opened fire at the construction site and left a letter demanding Rs 10 lakh — the signature style for extorting money used by Pujari's gang took place.

A CCTV grab showing the shooter

But when the cops investigated, they caught two people who turned out to be members of the Pathak's gang, who was arrested in 2011 for killing four youngsters. Hence cops are probing the angle, keeping Pathak in mind.

On Saturday, two instances of firing were reported in Kurar village. The first happened at around 1.30 pm at Anand Medical in Bhim Nagar in Kurar while the second incident was reported in Shivaji Nagar area at Rokadia Traders — an imitation jewellery shop. In both cases, the shooters threw an envelope at the spot asking for Rs 1 crore.

"Post Saturday's incident, the Kurar police and Crime Branch Unit XII are working together, The Kurar police have also detained four suspects," the officer added.

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