TADA Court Convicts Key Mastermind Of The 1993 Mumbai Blasts Case:- Mustafa Dossa and the extradited gangster Abu Salem, the key masterminds of the 1993 Mumbai blasts case have been convicted today by a special TADA Court today.
Besides offences under the TADA Act, the Arms Act and the Explosives Act, Dossa was convicted on charges of conspiracy and murder under various sections of the IPC, whereas Salem ahead of the blasts, was found chargeable of transporting weapons from Gujarat to Mumbai. On January 16, 1993, Salem also handed over illegally possessing weapons- AK 56 rifles, 250 rounds and some hand grenades to actor Sanjay Dutt, at his residence, who was also an accused in the case.
On January 18, 1993 Salem and two others went to the residence of Sanjay Dutt and got back two rifles and some rounds.
In 2013, earlier the court had dropped certain charges against Salem, after the investigating agency, CBI moved a petition saying those charges were against the extradition treaty between India and Portugal. The landing of explosives including RDX in India was allegedly masterminded by Dossa. He even sent some youth to Pakistan to acquire arms training to execute the blasts. The fearful attacks had left 257 dead, leaving 713 persons seriously injured and properties worth Rs 27 crore were destroyed.
The TADA court had convicted 100 accused in the case, while 23 persons were acquitted, in the first leg of the trial that ended in 2007. Abu Salem, Mustafa Dossa, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui, Tahir Merchant and Abdul Quayyum were the seven accused in the trial. They were later separated from the main case as they were arrested at the time of conclusion of the main trial.
The country’s commercial capital on March 12,1993 witnessed an unexampled terrorist attack when a series 12 bomb explosions took place one after another in about a span of two hours. The Bombay Stock Exchange, Katha Bazaar, Lucky petrol pump near Sena Bhavan, opposite Passport office near Century Bazaar, Fishermen’s colony at Mahim Causeway, at basement of Air India Building, Zaveri Bazaar, Hotel Sea Rock, Plaza Theatre, Centaur Hotel (Juhu), Sahar Airport (Bay no.54) and Centaur Hotel (near airport) were the places affected by the blasts.
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.
Earlier it was used in the second world war. As per the prosecution, in order to retaliate the demolition of Babri Masjid, the members of the crime syndicate under the fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim along with other absconding accused Tiger Memon, Mohammed Dossa and Mustafa Dossa shaded a conspiracy to commit terrorist acts in India.
To commit terrorist acts with an aim to overawe the Government of India, to strike terror on the people, estrange the section of the people and to disturb the communal harmony was the main objective of the crime. Fire-arms, ammunition, detonators, hand grenades and highly explosive substances like RDX were smuggled by the conspirators into India and stored it, said the prosecution.
According to the prosecution, the training camps in Pakistan and in India were organized to impart and undergo weapon and arms training and handling of explosives. They also sent men from India to Pakistan through Dubai for arms training. Before the execution of the blasts, the conspirators held 15 meetings, said the prosecution.
SUPRAJA
