Five persons convicted for their role in 1993 serial blasts in the city, including a former public servant, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by the TADA court in Mumbai.
Mumbai, May 23 : Five persons convicted for their role in 1993 serial blasts in the city, including a former public servant, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by the TADA court in Mumbai.
Tulshiram Dhondu Surve, employed as a watchman at the Wangani Microwave Tower was sentenced to nine years' rigorous imprisonment and directed to pay a total fine of Rs 55,000 on the two counts of aiding and abetting a terrorist act and intentional omission of giving information of offence.
"Who were your real bosses? The government or the smugglers to whom you accorded such hospitality for a paltry amount of Rs 2,000?" special TADA judge P D Kode asked Surve, found guilty of allowing the use of government property on two occasions for transferring arms between two vehicles.
The "operational in-charges" of the arms and ammunition landing at the Dighi coast--Uttam Potdar and Mohammed Lajpuria alias "Mechanic Chacha"--were sentenced to 14 and 10 years' rigorous imprisonment respectively and directed to pay a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each.
One hundred persons have been convicted by the TADA court for their involvement in engineering the serial blasts in the city on 12th March, 1993 killing 257 and over 700.
Kode held that the "main mind" in the landing was Potdar, as he negotiated with the police party at Dongar Phata and also facilitated the landing on behalf of one of the prime accused Mohammed Dossa, who is presently absconding.
The court observed both Potdar and Lajpuria were unaware of the material in the contraband till time of the landing operation and said that the latter even objected to helping in landing anything apart from silver. (ANI with inputs)
ANI