Tiger Memon's aide Quadri gets life

Mumbai, May 29: Four former Customs officials were today awarded sentences ranging from seven to nine years by the designated TADA court for helping prime absconding accused Tiger Memon land arms and explosives, including the deadly RDX in Mumbai, immediately before the 1993 serial blasts.

The court also sentenced a fifth convict Syed Zameer Qadri" who is a close associate of Tiger Memon, to life imprisonment for actively participating in the landing operations at Dighi in Raigad.

Designated court judge P D Kode awarded nine years rigorous imprisonment to dismissed assistant Customs collector R K Singh and imposed a fine of Rs three lakh or face an additional three years imprisonment.

Dismissed Customs superintendent Sudhanu Talawekar was awarded eight years RI and a fine of Rs 2 lakh or an additional one year"s imprisonment.

Dismissed Customs superintendent Sultan Sayyed was awarded seven years RI and a fine of Rs one lakh or a additional one year imprisonment, while the fourth dismissed Customs official, inspector Jayant Grau was sentenced to eight years RI and a fine of Rs one lakh or a further one year imprisonment.

All these dismissed Customs officials had received heavy bribes to allow Mohd Dossa and Tiger Memon to land the consignment of explosives in the coastal areas of Maharashtra.

Pronouncing the quantum of sentences, Judge Kode said though the Customs officials had pleaded for leniency as they had lost their jobs, their act did not deserve any leniency and they lost their jobs because of their own wrongs.

All the four were earlier held guilty under Section 33 of TADA.

They had been granted bail within five years of their arrest in April 1993.

Awarding the life sentence to 33-year-old Zameer Qadri, the court said according to evidence before the court, it is proved that he is a close associate of both Tiger Memon and Mohd Dossa. The court stated that besides his active participation in the landing operation, he had also concealed 12 AK-56 rifles, 56 magazines and 9500 rounds of the rifle in a farm house belonging to another convict. He had also disposed off the remaining arms and ammunition which was landed at Dighi after the serial blasts on March 12, 1993.

Two other convicted persons Ehsaan Qureshi and Ayyub Qureshi were awarded five years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 each or six month"s additional imprisonment. Both of them were found in possesison of some arms and ammunition in April 1993.

UNI