In a significant development, Mumbai Police has successfully repatriated the infamous gangster Prasad Vitthal Poojary, who had been apprehended in February 2023 following an Interpol alert. This marks a landmark event as it signifies the first instance of China cooperating in the extradition of a wanted criminal. Officials disclosed this information on Saturday.
Hailing from the Vikhroli locality in Mumbai and aged 44, Poojary was accompanied by a contingent of Mumbai Police personnel as he arrived via an early morning flight. Subsequently, he was placed in police custody and formally arrested by the Crime Branch’s Anti-Extortion Cell, after being held in a police lockup.
Presented before a special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Poojary was granted a 14-day remand to police custody.
For the past two decades, Poojary had been residing in China and Hong Kong under various aliases such as Subhash, Siddharth Shetty, Sid, and Johny.
Operating from his clandestine locations, he orchestrated an extortion network utilizing international SIM cards and phone numbers, targeting a spectrum of individuals including politicians, businessmen, film industry personalities, and celebrities. Mumbai Police records show he was implicated in at least eight major criminal cases across different police jurisdictions in Mumbai.
Originally from Tagore Nagar in the Vikhroli suburb, Poojary commenced his criminal career under the mentorship of gangs led by Kumar Pillai and Chhota Rajan Nikhalje (both deported) nearly three decades ago.
However, diverging paths led him to establish his own criminal syndicate, targeting high-profile individuals with threats aimed at extracting substantial sums, primarily in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane regions.
In a notorious incident in 2019, Poojary was involved in an attempted assassination of Shiv Sena leader Chandrakant Jadhav, who narrowly escaped death, further cementing his reputation among the affluent and influential circles.
Acting on information from Interpol and acting on a Red Corner Notice dating back to 2012, Poojary was apprehended in Hong Kong in February 2023 for possessing a counterfeit passport.
Married to a Chinese national and with a child, Poojary was intercepted while attempting to board a flight from Hong Kong to Shenzhen at the time of his arrest.
Upon learning of his detention, Mumbai Police commenced deportation and extradition proceedings against Poojary, culminating in his return after a year-long effort.
In 2020, Poojary’s mother, Indira Vitthal Poojary, was arrested by Mumbai Police for her suspected involvement in the abduction-for-ransom case of a Vikhroli-based developer and managing her son's criminal operations by proxy.
Following the extradition of Kumar Pillai by Singaporean authorities, Poojary expanded his criminal domain, orchestrating shootings, abductions, attempted murders, issuing death threats, and operating extortion rackets targeting prominent figures in and around Mumbai.
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