Mumbai blasts: Abu Salem, 4 others convicted by TADA court

A series of 12 blasts rocked the country's commercial capital Mumbai on March 12, 1993, killing 257 people and injuring more than 700 people. One hundred people had been convicted in 2007 following a marathon trial.

KARIMULLA KHAN: The court held that he was "number two" in (convict) Ejaz Pathans gang. Besides ensuring the arms and ammunition were stored safely, Khan was also found guilty of attending a conspiracy meeting at Dawood Ibrahim's Pakistan residence. Salem distributed the explosives and arms to Salim Kurla and Babu Chavan to create riots in various parts of Mumbai and Surat.

Salem was convicted under charges of conspiracy and terror activities but was acquitted of some charges of TADA which he was framed initially.

A Special TADA court today convicted key mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

The six accused were convicted for terrorist acts and possession of unauthorised arms as well as criminal conspiracy.

Abdul Qayyum Shaikh who has been absolved by the court had supposedly sent weapons and ammo from overseas which arrived at Dighi Jerry.

He is an aide of gangster Abu Salem, who is now lodged in Taloja Central Jail in Raigad and who was found guilty by a TADA court on Friday of transporting weapons.

On a large scale, the RDX (Research Department Explosive i.e cyclotrimethylene trinitramine) was used for the blasts, which was stated as the first-ever terrorist attack in the world.

Besides accused Riyaz Siddiqui, all the other five convicts were pronounced guilty by Special Judge G A Sanap for criminal conspiracy, murder under various sections of the IPC besides offences under TADA, Explosives Act, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Destruction of Public Property Act. Two days later, Salem and two others went to Dutt's house and got two rifles and some rounds back, the court ruled. While describing the role of Karimullah, the court said, he was very close to the absconding accused Ejaz Pathan.

Salem, a former key associate of India's most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, is now serving life term in jail for a 20-year-old murder case, which is not connected to the blasts. Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim along with Tiger Memon and his brother Yakub Memon were alleged to be the prime conspirators in the case. "It is proved that the accused Mustafa Dossa for achieving the object of the main conspiracy, took the first step and sent arms and ammunition from Dubai/Pakistan to Dighi Jetty on January 9, 1993", the court said. The seven men, who were arrested between 2003 and 2010, nearly at the fag end of the first trial, form the second set of accused in the blasts case.

The next hearing will be held on June 19, when the date for arguments on the quantum of sentences will be decided. The shooter had shot at his wife and sister and is also involved in several cases. Yakub Memon, in a controversial judgement, was sentenced to death and hanged on July 30, 2015 in Nagpur jail.