Patiala court defers verdict in Kandahar hijacking case

Patiala, Jan 29 : A special court here today deferred its verdict in connection with the Indian Airlines plane IC-814 hijacking case till February 5.

On January 18, Special Judge Inderjit Singh Walia had reserved his judgement for today against the three accused -- Abdul Latif, Dalip Kumar and Yusuf Nepali.

The three were arrested on charges of conspiracy to hijack the Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi on December 24, 1999.

They have been charged for helping the hijackers in procuring fake passports and to take weapons onboard. They have been lodged in the Patiala jail since 1999.

Over 120 witnesses have been examined in the case.

The weeklong hijack drama ended with the release of three dreaded terrorists, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Zargar and Sheikh Ahmed Omar Sayeed in exchange for 189 people on board the Indian Airlines flight.

The hijackers killed Rupen Katyal, 25, while had stabbed Satnam Singh several times but he survived.

ANI