Court to decide fate of 5 Tiger Memon's aides tomorrow

Mumbai, Sep 27 (UNI) The designated TADA court, which is pronouncing the final verdict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, will decide tomorrow the fate of five aides of Tiger Memon who had participated in the consipracy of the blasts and also visited Dubai to undergo arms and ammunition handling training in Pakistan.

The five accused -- Manzoor Querishi (accused no 88), Kasam Shaikh (accused no 109), Sultan-E-Rome (accused no 114), Abdul Aziz Shaikh (accused no 126) and Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh (accused no 127) -- are charged under section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3 (3) (aiding and abetting) of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (prevention) Act.

All of them are currently on bail. In their confessional statments to the police, they had earlier admitted to the crime. But later they retracted the same, alleging that the police had recorded the statements against their will and were given under the duress.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the five accused besides acting and participating in the conspiracy of the blasts, had also travelled to Dubai on February 15, 1993, to visit Pakistan in order to undergo training for handling of the deadly arms and ammunition at a camp organised by Memon.

They however went to Dubai, but did not visit Pakistan as their travel and other arrangements were not made by the co-conspirators.

UNI XR SSS VA PM1729