Fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari's wife Padma and his 14-year-old son were detained at Mumbai international airport late evening on Monday, after they arrived from Singapore. Though Intelligence Bureau sources said the duo was deported to India, Mumbai police maintained they were arrested when they landed from Bangkok.
Police said Padma was on a red corner notice and was detained as soon as she landed.
Senior police officials refused to clarify whether the duo was caught while shuffling from Australia to Singapore or Bangkok and then deported to India.
Interestingly, his wife and son's deportation has come on the day when JJ Marg police registered a fresh case against Pujari for threatening Gulzar Azmi, secretary of Jamiat Ul-ulemma's legal cell, for representing suspected terrorists in court.
Police have named Ravi Pujari in the FIR and booked him under section 506 (ii) & 507 of the Indian penal code. Azmi also demanded to file an FIR against BJP MLA Ashish Shelar and unidentified top police officials.
While talking to mediapersons, the 83-year-old said, "Police have assured me that during investigation if they find Ashish Shelar's connection behind threat given by Ravi Pujari, an FIR against Shelar will also be lodged." "We are in talk with senior advocates of Jamiat and if needed we will approach bombay high court to get direction for lodging FIR against Ashish Shelar and others involved in the conspiracy," he added.
Former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma had arrested Padma in 2005 in a fake passport case. Padma had forged documents to obtain her passport and those of her two daughters. She was released on bail after a month, but she fled the country within six months by secretly making another passport from Mangalore. Since then, a lookout notice was issued against her.
