Ex-customs official found guilty by TADA court

Mumbai, Nov 28 (UNI) A former Customs official was today found guilty by the TADA court of the charge of facilitating smuggling of arms and explosives that were used in the 1993 serial bomb blasts in the city.

Somnath Thapa, former Additional Collector, Customs (Preventive), was found guilty of aiding and abetting terrorism by not preventing the smuggling of arms and explosives under section 3 (3) of Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act and of 120- B ( criminal conspiracy ) of the Indian Penal Code. He was charged with this failure in preventing the smuggling despite knowing designs of prime absconding accused Tiger Memon and involved in the crime which claimed 257 lives in the country's financial and entertainment capital.

Despite Thapa not giving a confession, the oral evidence and confessions by other accused were accepted as evidence against him by designated Judge Pramod Kode who pronounced the order.

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