First witness in separate Dossa trial to depose tomorrow

Mumbai, Apr 20 (UNI) The first witness in the separate trial of Mustafa Dossa alias Mustafa Majnu, an accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, will depose before the designated TADA court here tomorrow.

The witness, whose identity has been kept secret and given a code name 'prosecution witness number 1', is reportedly an Immigration officer, who was on duty at the Chhatrpati Shivaji International Airport here on March 20, 2003, when Dossa was deported from Dubai.

The witness is expected to give details about Dossa's arrival here and shed light on handing over of his custody to the CBI after clearing his immigration.

The officer, who was summoned earlier by the court, will tomorrow depose on a list of the witnesses, furnished by the investigating agency.

Dossa, extradited gangster Abu Salem and his two accomplices -- Riyaz Siddiqui and Abdul Qaum Ansari--were arrested after the designated court had concluded its first phase of trial, when Judge P D Kode convicted 100 accused, including members of the Memon family, who had masterminded the blasts and Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt.

The final verdict in the blasts case is awaited, with the court separating the trial of the four accused from the other accused, who had faced the trial for 14 years.

Earlier, during the trial of Salem and his accomplices, the first witness could not depose before the court as he was out of station.

Therefore, the court had deferred their trial till April 22, while posting Dossa's trial for tomorrow.

Dossa, accused of actively participating in the blasts conspiracy, was also allegedly involved in the landing of weapons in Maharashtra's Raigad district prior to the blasts on March 12, 1993, that left 257 people dead and 574 injured.

Salem is accused of delivering an AK-56 rifle at the residence of Sanjay Dutt and various other weapons to other co-accused.

Siddiqui and Ansari are accused of delivering weapons at different places.

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