1993 blasts: Charges against Abdul Qayyum

Mumbai, Mar 3: The designated TADA court here today framed charges against gangster Abul Qayyum, who was deported from Dubai, in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

TADA Judge P D Kode framed charges against Qayyum under Section 3(3) TADA (possessing deadly weapons in the notified area) and under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (conspiracy) for his involvement in the serial blasts, which rocked the metropolis on March 12, 1993 killing 576 people, injuring over 700 and damaging property running into crores of rupees.

With this, a total of four accused will face separate trials in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The other three accused are extradited gangster Abu Salem, his associate Riyaz Siddiki and Mustafa Dossa.

It may be recalled that the court had convicted 100 people in the case including the members of Memon family, who had master minded the blast, and Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt.

However, the four accused were booked at the fag end of the original trials that concluded after 14 years, making a record in the history of the Indian judiciary as one of the lengthiest trials. They are, therefore, facing separate trials.

Qayyum, who is at present in judicial custody, was arrested on February 13, 2007 by crime branch near Sion-Trombay Road here in a case of extortion and attempt to murder of a builder in the year 2000. However, police sources had then said the local Dubai police had detained him for over two months, from where he was later deported.

Qayyum is a former Anees Ibrahim aide, who is the younger brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. He is also known for his closeness with most of the D-company's underworld transactions until the late 1990s.

Qayyum is the fourth accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case to be deported from a foreign country, but was not taken into into CBI custody even ten months after his deportation.

The other three -- Ejaz Pathan, Mustafa Dossa and Abu Salem -- were taken into CBI custody immediately after they landed in the city.

Qayyum's name figures in the confessional statements of Sanjay Dutt, Abu Salem, and convict Salim Mira Shaikh.

Dutt had mentioned Qayyum as the person who had sold him a nine mm pistol for Rs 40,000 in September 1992.

UNI