- Remo D’Souza is in the news after gangster Ravi Pujari was taken into Mumbai Crime Branch custody in connection with an extortion case linked to the filmmaker. The case traces back to a dispute over the 2016 film Death of Amar.
- What is the 2016 film dispute involving Remo D’Souza?
- Multiple criminal cases already registered
Remo D’Souza is in the news after gangster Ravi Pujari was taken into Mumbai Crime Branch custody in connection with an extortion case linked to the filmmaker. The case traces back to a dispute over the 2016 film Death of Amar.
The Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch has taken notorious gangster Ravi Pujari into custody in connection with an extortion case linked to Bollywood choreographer and filmmaker Remo D’Souza, reviving the probe into a years-old dispute that had remained unresolved for a long time.
According to officials, the case is tied to an old film-related conflict, and with Pujari now formally arrested in this matter, the Crime Branch has stepped up its investigation to re-examine the sequence of events and the roles played by all those involved.
What is the 2016 film dispute involving Remo D’Souza?
Police officials said the case relates to the 2016 film Death of Amar, in which Remo D’Souza was associated as a producer, and disagreements had surfaced over issues such as the no-objection certificate, profit sharing and release rights of the film.
Investigators allege that Ravi Pujari, acting on behalf of Satendra Tyagi, issued threats to Remo D’Souza’s wife Lizelle D’Souza, demanding Rs 5 crore while claiming it to be Tyagi’s share, along with an additional demand of Rs 50 lakh, and warning of harm to the family if the money was not paid.
Multiple criminal cases already registered
An FIR in the matter was registered in 2018, following which Satendra Tyagi and another accused were arrested, while Ravi Pujari and one of his associates were at that time absconding abroad and managed to evade law enforcement agencies for several years.
Ravi Pujari was eventually extradited from Senegal and brought back to India in 2020, and the Mumbai Crime Branch has now formally arrested him in this extortion case and taken him into custody for further questioning to piece together the full chain of events.
Police sources said that Pujari faces multiple serious criminal cases in Mumbai and other locations, including charges of extortion, criminal intimidation, attempt to murder and murder, and action has also been taken against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.
On Thursday, January 22, the Mumbai Crime Branch produced Ravi Pujari before the Esplanade Court, where the court remanded him to police custody till January 27, bringing the focus back to this high-profile extortion case linked to Remo D’Souza.
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