Kandahar hijack case: 3 sentenced to life

Patiala, Feb 5: A special court here today sentenced Abdul Latif, Dalip Kumar and Yusuf Nepali to life imprisonment, in connection with the Indian Airlines plane IC-814 hijacking case.

The three had been arrested on charges of conspiracy to hijack the Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi on December 24, 1999. They have been charged for helping the hijackers in procuring fake passports and to take weapons onboard. They have been lodged in the Patiala jail since 1999. Over 120 witnesses have been examined in the case. The week-long hijack drama ended with the release of three dreaded terrorists, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Zargar and Sheikh

Ahmed Omar Sayeed in exchange for 189 people on board the Indian Airlines flight. The hijackers killed Rupen Katyal, 25, and had stabbed Satnam Singh several times but he survived.

ANI