Blast accused claims he was threatened by Tiger Memon

Mumbai, Oct 6 (UNI) Mohammad Nasir alias Nasir Dakla, a convict in 1993 Mumbai serial blast case, today told a TADA court that he was forced into the conspiracy as he was threatened by prime absconding accused Tiger Memon.

During the recording of his statement by TADA Judge P D Kode, Dakla said Tiger Memon and his aide Javed Chikna threatened him with dire consequences.

''They told me that my son and family members will be harmed,'' he said.

He added that at one of the conspiratorial meeting, they even said they would shoot him if he would go back.

Praying for leniency, he said he wanted to be a good citizen he said his son had suffered head injury while his wife was suffering from tuberculosis. He informed that his family was staying with his mother-in-law.

With folded hands, Dakla told the court he was the only bread winner for the family and therefore while awarding the sentence, the court should consider his case sympathetically.

Mohammad Rafiq Shaikh, another convict while recording his statement said, in 1992, he was residing at Fishermen's colony at Mahim with his family. During the communal riots, his house was ransacked and burnt. He was again threated by the rioters even after normalcy returned.

He further said later the army jawans took him and his family members to a relief camp at Mahim.

He said his father's leg, which was injured during the riots, was amputated, but still he could not survive.

He claimed he had no criminal background before his arrest and used to run a small grocery shop at Mumbra. He said he spent nearly 13 years in jail and considering the circumstances and the period spent in jail, he should be given lesser punishment.

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