The Sessions Court in Nagpur has started a day-to-day trial against Jayesh Pujari alias Kanta and his accomplice Pasha Asfar Bashiruddin Noor Mohammed in connection with an extortion threat made to the office of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. The trial is being conducted before Sessions Judge Anil Kumar Sharma. On the first day, statements of three witnesses, including the complainant, were recorded. Both accused appeared before the court through video conferencing from their respective jails.

 

According to the prosecution, on March 21, 2023, Jayesh Pujari made two phone calls to Gadkari’s office demanding extortion money. Police registered two cases at Dhantoli Police Station. Investigations revealed that Pujari, while serving a sentence in Belgaum jail in Karnataka, came in contact with Pasha Asfar, who allegedly instigated him to make the calls. Jayesh reportedly demanded Rs 100 crore and threatened sabotage if the demand was not fulfilled. In another call, he allegedly asked for Rs 10 crore to be transferred through Google Pay to his girlfriend. Police also found that the calls were made from inside the prison. Taking the matter seriously, Nagpur Police brought Pujari from Belgaum to Nagpur on a production warrant. The case was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency for further investigation. Government advocate Liladhar Shendre is representing the prosecution. Further hearing in the case will continue on a day-to-day basis.