Gangster Prasad Pujari among seven inmates booked for clash in Mumbai Central Jail

Mumbai, July 13 (IANS) Gangster Prasad Pujari, who was extradited from China last year after being on the run for nearly two decades, has been booked along with six other inmates following a violent clash inside the high-security Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.

The incident took place on July 6 around 12.30 p.m., prompting the jail administration to launch an internal probe and the Mumbai Police to register an FIR.

According to a complaint lodged by prison officer Ravindra Arjun Tonge, 39, a brawl broke out among prisoners inside the Mumbai Central Jail premises.

The clash involved members of two rival gangs, including Pujari himself.

The N.M. Joshi Marg Police Station registered the case on July 7 under Section 194(2) (fighting between two or more people that disturbs peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act.

The seven inmates booked in connection with the incident have been identified as Irfan Rahim Khan (39), Shoaib Khan alias Bhurya (28), Ayub Anumuddin Shaikh (55), Mukesh Sitaram Nishad (29), Lokendra Udaysingh Rawat (31), Siddhesh Santosh Bhosale (26), and Prasad Vitthal Pujari (45).

While no serious injuries were reported, the prison authorities have taken the matter seriously and have initiated an internal investigation to determine how such a violent altercation could occur within a high-security facility.

Additional precautions are now being enforced to prevent further disturbances.

Pujari, who has operated under various aliases including Subhash Vitthal Pujari, Siddharth Shetty, Siddhu, Sid, and Johnny, is a known figure in the Mumbai underworld.

Originally from Tagore Nagar in Vikhroli East, Pujari, a close associate of gangster Kumar Pillai, later worked with the Chhota Rajan gang before establishing his criminal network.

In 2005, he left India for China on a student visa to study the Chinese language and mass communication.

Pujari was wanted in several cases, including that of murder.

For nearly 20 years, Pujari lived in China with his wife, evading Indian law enforcement until his return to India in March 2024 under custody.

--IANS

sd/svn