A cousin of gangster Prasad Pujari - Suresh Kumar has been denied bail by a special court on Thursday in an extortion case of a builder.
Suresh Kumar had sought bail stating that the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) has been wrongly applied on him as he is not part of any syndicate and him being related to Pujari does not mean he is involved.
The prosecution had opposed his plea telling the court that in June 2018 the informant - a builder, had received a ransom call demanding Rs. 1 crore from Prasad Pujari, who had threatened to shoot him if he does not pay up.
The court while rejecting Suresh Kumar’s plea noted that he is the cousin of Pujari and investigation papers reveal that he had played an active role in transferring the money to his absconding relative. It also noted that he has transferred money to a co-accused in the case who had threatened the builder. Additional sessions judge DS Deshmukh said that being a member of an organised crime syndicate, he is also prima facie involved in the offence.
