Nagpur: Serial criminal Jayesh Pujari, main accused in the alleged extortion calls made to union minister Nitin Gadkari in January this year, was on Friday hospitalized after he swallowed an iron wire in a suspected suicide attempt at the Nagpur jail, sources said. It is learnt that the hospital administration has informed the jail authorities that Pujari's condition is out of danger.
Police are investigating whether Jayesh Pujari really tried to commit suicide or it was a tactic to be shifted to another jail out of Maharashtra. Pertinently, Pujari has already moved the court demanding that he be shifted to a jail in Karnataka where two criminal cases are pending against him. Pujari was arrested by Nagpur City Police in March this year for allegedly making two extortion calls to union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Jan 14 and Mar 21 this year.
Also read:Nitin Gadkari extortion calls case: Jayesh Pujari made the calls at behest of jailed LeT operative Afsar Pasha, police say
The extortion case: It can be recalled that on Jan 14 and Mar 21 this year, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's public relations office at Khamla in Nagpur received threatening calls. The caller demanded Rs 10 crore extortion from the union minister's office. During the subsequent investigation, police said that the calls were made by Pujari from the cellphone of his friend from Bangalore.
Terror links of Pujari: Police said that Jayesh Pujari alias Shakir has already been booked under UAPA by the Nagpur Police for his alleged links with terrorist organizations. Police claimed that Pujari came in contact with PFI National Executive Council Secretary Mohammad Afsar Pasha. He was also in touch with another terrorist, police added.
Police have alleged that Pujari made the extortion calls to Gadkari at the behest of Pasha.
