Mother's death: When Salem groped for words

Varanasi, Oct 12 (UNI) Underworld don and prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Abu Salem, who was extradited from Portugal to India on November 11, 2005 along with his girlfriend Monica Bedi, today fumbled for words when queried by mediapersons about his mother's demise.

''Maa to maa hoti hai aur ye dukh lavjon me bayaan nahi kiya jaa sakta hai. (a mother is a mother...the loss cannot be expressed in words).'' the don observed in a faint voice.

Salem, while leaving for Azamgarh district under heavy police security to attend the last rites of his mother, said, ''Nothing could ever be able to cover up this loss.'' When badgered about the prospects of him contesting the elections, his reply was lost in the melee.

Apart from Mumbai blasts, Salem had been charged with two murders in Mumbai, three extortion cases in Delhi and one case of passport forgery in Lucknow.

Salem and Bedi had been arrested in Lisbon in 2002 after an Interpol Red Corner alert. The duo had been sentenced to prison terms there for travelling on false documents. The don served 39 months in a Lisbon prison.

UNI