5 convicted for conspiring to kill diamond merchant

Mumbai, Sep 19 (UNI) Five gangsters, owing allegiance to the Chhota Rajan gang, were today convicted by a special court which held them guilty of conspiring to murder diamond merchant and film financier Bharat Shah two years back.

MCOCA court judge Mrudula Bhatkar sentenced four of the gangsters -- Vinod Jadhav, Vishwanath Jadhav, Jagdish Shetty and Nilesh Paradkar, to seven years rigorous imprisonment while the fifth, Amit Dalvi, was sentenced to suffer five years rigorous imprisonment.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10.20 lakh each upon Vinod Jadhav, Vishwanath Jadhav and Jagdish Shetty, Rs 10.15 lakh upon Nilesh Paradkar and Rs 7.10 lakh upon Amit Dalvi.

According to the prosecution case, crime branch sleuths had unearthed the gang's plan to kill Bharat Shah. The police had raided a lodge in Girgaum on November 8, 2004, and arrested the five. Two pistols, two revolvers and cash were seized from them. The police had also recovered photographs of Mr Shah from the arrested persons who had also kept record of the vehicle numbers of the diamond merchant in order to track him.

In all 43 persons, including Bharat Shah, were examined in this case. Chhota Rajan and Bharat Nepali were declared as wanted accused in the case.

UNI PVN MAZ SK BS1715