'93 blasts: 79 convictions so far

Mumbai: The designated TADA court hearing the 1993 Mumbai blasts case on Monday found deported accused Ejaz Pathan, a confidant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and his associate Dawood Khan guilty.

With these convictions, the total number of people found guilty in the blasts case has risen to 79.

Designated TADA Judge P D Kode, while convicting Pathan and Khan said the confessional statements made by the accused, co-accused and the other material produced before the court proved the involvement of the accused in the blast case.

The court also cancelled the bail of accused Dawood Khan. Pathan has not been granted bail after he was deported from Dubai in February 2003.

Pathan was found guilty for participating in the conspiratorial meetings in Dubai along with absconding prime accused Dawood Ibrahim, Mohammad Dosa, Tiger Memon and others in which plans were chalked out for committing terrorist attacks in the metropolis.

He was also found guilty of participating and assisting Tiger Memon and his associates in the landing of arms, ammunition and explosives at the coastal area at Shekhadi in Maharashtra.

The court held him guilty for making arrangements for sending co-conspirators to Dubai from where they went to Pakistan to receive training in the handling of arms and ammunition.

The court also accepted the recovery panchnama made by the police, indicating that Pathan was possessing three AK-56 rifles and it's nine magazines.

Later, the same arms were handed over to co-accused Dawood Khan who concealed them in a residential complex at Kurla in suburban Mumbai.

The police had recovered the same at the instance of Khan on April 9, 1993, who had then confessed during interrogation that the arms were given to him by Pathan for committing terrorist acts.

The five counts he was found guilty are 120-B of IPC, 3(3), 5, 6 and 7 read with 25 (I) (A) of the Arms Act.

Pathan was brought into the TADA court on a wheel-chair by the two convicted accused, who were lodged in the same jail, attired in a blue coloured shirt and jeans.

Pathan's left hand was tied with a bandage after he was reportedly attacked by some of the blast accused last week following his joining the Rajan gang.

Meanwhile, Dawood Khan was found guilty under section 3(3) of TADA and 3,7-25 (I) (A) of the Arms Act. He was found guilty for possessing three AK-56 rifles and it's nine magazines in a notified area in Mumbai.

The court had accepted his confessional statement as also that of Ejaz Pathan who had confessed that he had handed over the arms to Khan who had concealed it. Later the arms were recovered by the police.