Judge Shridhar Bhosle of a special Mumbai court sentenced the accused for 5 years in prison.
10 Ravi Pujari gang members sentenced for plotting to kill Mahesh, Mukesh Bhatt
Mumbai - 26 Apr 2018 12:21 IST
Our Correspondent
Ten members of the Ravi Pujari gang have been sentenced to five years by a Mumbai court for conspiring to kill filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt, his brother Mukesh and son Rahul in 2014.
Judge Shridhar Bhosle held Ishrat Sheikh, Mohammad Hasnat Khan, Azim Khan, Ashpak Sayyed, Asif Khan, Shahnawaz Sheikh, Firoz Sayyed, Shabir Sheikh, Rahim Khan and Anis Merchant guilty under Section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant portions of the arms act.
However, they were acquitted of the charges under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act).
Yusuf Kadri and Ravikesh Singh, who were also accused, were acquitted by the judge. The trial saw testimony from around 47 witnesses.
The Mumbai police had arrested these 12 members of the gang for plotting to kill the Bhatts. Pujari, the main accused, has been absconding. As per the prosecution, he has been living abroad and wanted to revive his gang by killing any of the three Bhatts.
Pujari was an active gangster in the 1990s and has been involved in a number of criminal activities, including murders. He was also a close aide of another notorious gangster of the time, Chhota Rajan.
