Ahmedabad: Around 20 days after being booked, Dubai-based bootlegger Vijay Udhwani, also known as Viju Sindhi, has moved the Gujarat High Court challenging the FIR filed against him under the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act (GujCTOC) at the State Monitoring Cell (SMC) police station.

Sindhi, who hails from Vadodara, has been in Dubai since July 2022. Fearing extradition to India, he has approached the HC. In his petition, Sindhi, through his lawyer, argued that he has no convictions to date. He also contended that the GujCTOC FIR is untenable, as organised crime must involve offences affecting the human body—an element missing from the case.

The State Monitoring Cell filed a fresh FIR under GujCTOC against Sindhi on January 31 after compiling 500 cases against him and his gang members over the past 10 years.

However, claiming it to be a case of “sustained harassment,” he alleged that a senior SMC officer is personally targeting him. The HC is expected to hear his plea soon. DeshGujarat