Gujarat police fails to get Dosa's custody

Mumbai, Dec 5 (UNI) Gujarat police today failed to get custody of a 1993 serial bomb blasts case accused when they expressed their inability to give an undertaking to the TADA court here to bear air travel expenses of Mustafa Dosa wanted by them for custodial interrogation into a case of arms seizure in Ahmedabad.

When assistant commissioner of police V S Singhal of Ahmedabad police crime branch informed the court that he would have to seek the government's permission on bearing expenses to fly Dosa and police escort, Judge Pramod Kode adjourned the matter to December 29.

The Gujarat police had come armed with a production warrant to take custody of Dosa, who was extradited from Dubai two years ago to face trial in the multiple blasts which rocked the metropolis on March 12, 1993. His trial in the case had been separated from the one faced by 123 accused, 100 of whom have been convicted and 23 acquitted.

Defence counsel Rizwan Merchant informed the court Dosa is a heart patient, had undergone cardiac surgery and hence had been advised against travelling by road or rail. He further said Dosa was flown by the Gujarat police earlier when cops from Porbandhar and Valsad had taken him away for interrogation in some other cases. The counsel, however, said Dosa was ready to bear his own air travel expenses but could not pay for the police party who would escort him to Ahmedabad.

When Mr Singhal failed to give an undertaking to the court to bear air travel expenses of the police escort, the judge adjourned the matter to December 29.

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