10 yrs RI to supplier of arms to Sanjay Dutt

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

Mumbai, June 6: Serial blast convict Baba Mossa Chauhan, who had supplied arms to actor Sanjay Dutt, was awarded 10 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3 lakh.

A second convict, Mulchand Shah, was awarded five years rigorous imprisonment while a third convict, Sardar Shah Wali Khan, was awarded the life sentence.

Baba Mossa Chauhan, owner of a motor driving school, was the third convict who had supplied hand grenades and arms and ammunition to the residence of Sanjay Dutt at Bandra and had been accompanied by extradited gangster Abu Salem. He had been instructed to do so by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Anees.

Chauhan who earlier held guilty by the court on November 29, 2006 was sentenced today. The court sentenced him to 8 years RI and a fine of Rs one lakh under Section 3(3) of TADA, 10 years RI and a fine of Rs 50,000 under Section 5 of TADA, 10 years RI and a fine of Rs one lakh under Section 6 of TADA, and 4 years RI and a fine of Rs 50,000 under sections 3,7 r/w 25 (1-A)(1-b) of Arms Act. All the sentences are to run concurrently, the court ordered.

While pronouncing the quantum of punishment, the court said that according to the evidences produced before the court, the convict was not involved in the main conspiracy of the blast but his involvement in distributing the arms and possessing the same has been established.

The court said that besides supplying weapons to Dutt, he had supplied sophisticated arms to another accused Salim Bismillah Khan alias Salim Kurla who was shot dead by a rival gang two years back.

Judge Kode observed that the convict was found ''dancing to the tunes of Abu Salem and Anees Ibrahim''.

During the final verdict, the court also read out some parts of the confessional statement of Chauhan in which he has confessed to the crime and mentioned that he had been told not to take the name of Salem. The court observed that the convict had tried to make Salem a don.

Mulchand Shah, who was earlier found guilty by the court on November 16, 2006, for rendering financial assistance to prime absconding accused Tiger Memon, was awarded 5 years RI and a fine of Rs 5 lakh by the court today. Shah had helped Tiger Memon to open a fake hawala account by name ''hathi'' in which Rs 109,73,000 was deposited and the same money was distributed among the accused for the commission of the offence.

The court, while awarding the sentence, said he cannot function like a bank. The court also said that considering the fact that the convict is a sick person and has undergone a bypass surgery, he was being awarded a lesser punishment. His involvement in the conspiracy has not been established.

Soon after the pronouncement of the sentence, Shah broke down.

His lawyer Farhana Shah moved an application urging the court to allow her client to receive treatment at the Bombay Hospital here for his cardiac ailment. The court asked the prosecution to file a reply on the application.

Sardar Shah Wali Khan, a builder, was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs one lakh. He was sentenced under Section 120-b of the Indian Penal Code, the Explosives Act, and on three counts under Section 3(3) of TADA.

He was found guilty by court for attending the conspiratorial meeting at Taj Mahal Hotel and also at the residence of another convict Nasir Ahmed.

He, incidentally, had taken an oath and had administered an oath upon another convict for committing this offence. He had surveyed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation building with a view to carry out blasts there and had helped in filling RDX in the vehicles which were parked at different places, and ultimately resulted in the serial blast on March 12, 1993. He had received weapons training at Sandheri and had actively participated in the landing operations.

Sardar Shah Wali Khan had been granted bail on November 24, 2006, after spending five years in custody.

UNI

For Daily Alerts
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
X