The special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court here today convicted six persons, including a builder, for extorting money from builders and businessmen at the behest of fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari.
"All of them were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment," said Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. This, he added, was the first case in which the builder-underworld nexus came to fore.
According to the prosecution, Harshan Maru, Kannu Thakkar and Narendra Soni fired at Prakash Chabaria, the manager of Mahesh Notandas Jewellers in suburban Khar, in July 2010.
Police found out that the assailants were connected with Pujari and the purpose of the attack was to extort. The shop owner had been receiving threatening calls before the attack.
One of the arrested gang-members also confessed that there was a link between Pujari and city-based builder Ravi Punjabi.
Punjabi -- also convicted today -- provided Pujari with information about builders, businessmen and their monetary transactions and accordingly Pujari selected his targets.
The court also convicted Paresh Nepali and Raju Bhandari, two other gang members, in the case.
