Former Dawood aide convicted

India
Former Dawood aide convicted
By Indo Asian News Service, Nov 21, 2006 - 2:21:55 AM

Mumbai, Nov 20 (IANS) A special court Monday pronounced Ejaz Pathan, a former aide of mob boss Dawood Ibrahim, guilty for his complicity in the 1993 Mumbai blasts that killed 257 people and injured hundreds.

The court also held Pathan's close associate Mohammad Dawood Khan guilty in the same case.

Pathan, the one-time Dawood gang's western Indian operation-in-charge and close confidante of the absconding blast accused created a ruckus in the Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court by making 'critical' remarks against the prosecuting and defence lawyers.

At one stage after the verdict was delivered, the wheelchair bound Pathan made some 'sensitive' remarks on the court and judge Pramod Kode promptly asked the reporters present to exercise restrain in reporting the matter.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charge sheet, Pathan had attended the conspiratorial meeting in Dubai, which was conducted by Dawood and absconding prime conspirator Tiger Memon prior to the bombings.

'Pathan was also found guilty of assisting Tiger Memon and his men in landing of RDX, arms and ammunitions in Shekhadi in coastal Raigad district (of Maharashtra), which were later used in the act of terror. Besides, he was convicted for making travel arrangements for co-accused to Dubai, who later went to Pakistan to undergo the ISI-sponsored training in handling arms and explosives,' Kode said.

'He was also found guilty of possessing three AK-56 rifles and nine magazines, which he later handed over to co-accused Mohammad Dawood Khan, from whose Kurla residence these was recovered by police after the latter's arrest on April 9, 1993.'

Kode said Dawood Khan had confessed during interrogation that Pathan gave the arms and ammunition to him.

Khan, who was on bail, was asked to surrender to the court and his bail bond was cancelled.

Pathan was deported to Mumbai from Dubai Feb 12, 2003 along with Iqbal Hasan Kaskar, the younger brother of Dawood.

Pathan had fled to Dubai prior to the blasts and in the late nineties parted ways with Dawood. He has faced two major bids on his life, one in Karachi and another in Dubai. Recently, he was in the news when his nephew was arrested on charges of killing a police informer outside the Sessions Court.

The March 12, 1993 serial blasts also destroyed properties worth Rs.300 million.

After a long-drawn trial, which started in January 1994, the TADA court has been pronouncing verdicts since Sep 12. It has so far found 79 of the 123 accused on trial guilty.

Twenty-two of the accused have been acquitted or given benefit of doubt while the court is yet to pronounce its verdict on 24 accused, including actor Sanjay Dutt.

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