A shooter affiliated with gangster Ravi Pujari, who had fired at two Bollywood personalities in 2014, was arrested along with three others on March 20 after attempting to plunder a jewellery shop in Versova. The individual, Ashfaq Sayyed Abdul Rashid, 33, was recently released from Arthur Road jail, where he joined the gang of thieves while serving a seven-year sentence.

Pujari, who was wanted in extortion cases in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Dombivli near Mumbai, was arrested and extradited from the Philippines in December 2021. He is currently in jail. While in jail, Ashfaq received the information about Pujari’s prosecution. Realising that he would be jobless in the world of crime with his patron behind bars, he decided to become a thief, according to the police. “Being a shooter, this was completely a new ball game for him. He needed expertise and hence he began to look for an opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade,” said a Crime Branch officer.