Mumbai serial blasts' convict dies in jail, family cries foul

Mumbai, Sept 5: 1993 Mumbai serial blasts' convict, Mohammed Farook Yusuf Pawale died in Yerwada Central Prison on Tuesday evening after prolonged illness.

Pawale, whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, was sufferring from pulmonary hypertension and asthma.

Yogesh Desai, Yerwada Jail supritendent told that Pawale was treated in the jail hospital on August 21. "On August 22, he was shifted to Sasson General Hospital and was treated till August 31," Desai said.

After his discharge, he was sent back to the jail. On Tuesday evening he suffered a heart-attack, while talking to the inmates and was immediately rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.

Pawale was a close associate of Tiger Memon, a prime accused in the Mumbai serial blast. Pawale had taken part in the blast conspiracy and had visited Pakistan for arms training.

Police: Pawale was suffering from hypertension and asthma

He was the main bomb planter and had planted a bomb in the Air India building and had also parked a car full of explosives near the Shiv Sena Bhavan. The TADA court had sentenced him to death but recently the Supreme Court commuted his death sentece to life imprisonment along with the others accised in the bomb blast case.

His family however have blamed the prison authorities for negligence and even said that he did not suffer from any illness.

OneIndia News