Jayesh Pujari, also known as Jayesh Kantha, who is currently in Hindalga jail Belagavi on Tuesday, made another threatening call to senior BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s Khamla office, demanding Rs 10 crore in extortion money. This is a decrease from his previous demand of Rs 100 crore on January 14th of this year. Pujari warned of severe consequences if his demands were not met.
Nagpur City police chief Amitesh Kumar, who had previously increased Gadkari’s security after the first threat call, immediately alerted his counterparts in Belagavi and the Karnataka prison authorities. The Nagpur city police were able to trace the call and identify the caller through cyber experts, leading them to Pujari’s prison barrack once again. However, the police have not yet been able to locate the cellphone Pujari used to make the calls in January.
Kumar expressed surprise at how Pujari could obtain a second cellphone and SIM card in such a short amount of time. During his previous interrogation, it was discovered that Pujari had memorized the office numbers of the minister and other contacts.
Jayesh, who had previously claimed to be a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang, has once again made the same claim. The Nagpur police team has already left for Belagavi to complete the necessary legal formalities. In 2008, Jayesh was sentenced to death for a murder during a dacoity, but the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.
During a call on Tuesday, Jayesh provided the mobile number of a woman from Bengaluru who works as an event manager to Gadkari’s office staff to make the payment he demanded. It is believed that her number was given to Jayesh by her ex-boyfriend. After a failed attempt, Jayesh managed to speak to Gadkari’s office staff at 10:53 am and again at 11:08 am.
The top cop stated that the caller’s primary objective seems to be engaging in something unlawful inside the prison to get a chance to step out for legal formalities.
It is concerning that Pujari was able to make another threatening call despite being in jail. The authorities must take swift action to ensure the safety of those targeted by his extortion attempts.
Source: TOI