The five convicts relating to the horrifying 2006 Mumbai train blast, which left 188 people to death and 800 people injured, have been awarded the death sentence today.
Yatin Shinde, Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court judge announced the death sentence to five convicts named, Faisal Sheikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Sidduqui and Naveed Khan.
The five people, are involved in planting the bombs in various trains in 2006. Along with these five, another seven convicts- Mohammed Sajid Ansari for preparing the electrical circuits for bombs, Mohammed Ali, for providing his residence to prepare the bombs, Tanveer Ansari, one of the conspirators, and Majid Shafi, Muzzammil Shaikh, Sohail Shaikh and Zamir Shaikh, who provided logistical support, were awarded the life sentence.
Mumbai train blast
In a span of 11 minutes, seven blasts took place in various first class compartments of the local trains on July 11, 2006. The blast took place at the peak time, where the millions of people are returning back to home from the office.
The train blast took place in several busy places of Mumbai like Mira Road- Bhayander, Khar Road-Santacruz, Matunga- Mahim Junction, Borivali, Bandra-Khar Road and Jogeshwari-Mahim Junction.
Reportedly, 20kg of RDX were packed into pressure cookers, placed in bags and hidden under newspapers and umbrellas in the local trains.
Generally, there would be less security on the local trains and so the suspects targeted these trains. Firstly, they themselves got divided into seven teams, in which each team consisted a Pakistani national and Indian national. Through the local taxis, the bombs were taken to the Churchgate station on July 11th.
The suspects were supported by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group, after they are banned from the Islamic Movement of India.
As of now, 5 convicts are awarded the death sentence and 7, the life sentence. But there are 18 more suspects to be found in Mumbai train blast case. Among the 18, 4 are Indians, 13 are Pakistanis, including Azam Cheema, the key conspirator and LeT commander.
(Video Source: Sakshi TV)
By Phani Ch
