93 blasts: 2 arms landing agents declared guilty

Mumbai, Sept 22: The designated TADA court in Mumbai today found two ''landing agents'' guilty of handling the landing operations of the deadly arms and ammunition which were brought to India at the behest of prime accused Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Menon, which were used in the March 1993 blasts that rocked the city.

The court found Dawood Phanse (82) guilty of all the charges and in it's order observed that the charges against Phanse of attending a meeting at Dubai in February 1993, where the conspiracy of the Mumbai blasts was hatched, along with prime absconding accused, Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and Tiger Memon is proved.

The charge against Phanse of heading the landing operation of the RDX is proved, Special Judge of the TADA court, P D Kode observed.

However, in case of Sharief Parkar (81), the court observed that the evidence produced before the court found him guilty of organising a training camp for handling arms and ammunition is proved, but the charges that he personally received training at these camps is not proved.

The court also found Parkar guilty of arranging a meeting between police and custom officials and prime accused Tiger Memon, to facilitate landing of the arms and ammunition.

The charges that he paid bribes to custom and police officers, order to facilitate smooth landing and transportation of arms and ammunition is also proved, Special Judge P D Kode observed.

Both had headed the landing operations of the deadly RDX, arms and ammunitions, which were landed at Shekhadi in Raigad district, the coastal area of Maharashtra.

The arsenal was used in the serial blasts on March 12, 1993, which killed 257 people and wounded over 700.

So far the court has convicted nine accused and discharged three out of the 123 who faced trial.

Both Dawood and Sharif were named by an approver and identified by prosecution witnesses during an identification parade held in court.

Having retracted their confessional statements, both the accused were in jail for 13 years.

Both were charged under TADA. Dawood faced trial on three counts and Sharif on four counts under sections 3(3) and 6 of the Act.

Dawood was charged with having attended a conspiracy meeting at Dubai in January, 1993 in which the prime absconding accused Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and Tiger Memon and others also participated. It was in this meeting, Dawood had agreed to arrange for shipping of the arsenal to India.

Dawood was one of the main agents who headed the landing operation engineered by Tiger Memon and others.

Sharif was also charged with organising a training camp at Sandheri and Borghat in Raigad district conducted by Tiger Memon for receiving training in handling of arms and ammunition. He had also held meetings with customs officers who had helped him in the landing of arms.

UNI

Related Stories