'93 Mumbai blasts: 2 Memon aides found guilty

A TADA court on Friday held two associates of prime accused Tiger Memon guilty of aiding and abetting the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts.

Sardar Shahwali Khan was held guilty of helping Tiger Memon in executing the bomb blasts that killed 257 people on March 12, 1993. Altaf Ali Sayed was convicted of arranging air passage of 13 co-accused to Pakistan for weapons training and possessing hand grenades.

While Sardar is a civil contractor, Altaf is a travel agent.

Both face punishment ranging from five years to life imprisonment.

The court accepted the evidence implicating Sardar of taking part in weapon training programme at Sandheri and Bhorghat villages in Raigad district and also attending meetings connected to the blasts conspiracy at the residence of co-accused Nasir Ahmed Shaikh and Mubina Baya Bhiwandiwala.

"It had been established that at the insistence of Tiger Memon, Sardar had surveyed the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai building as a potential target of terror attack in keeping with the plans chalked out in conspiracy meetings," TADA Judge P D Kode observed while delivering the verdict.

Sardar was also found guilty of participating in the conspiracy but he was acquitted of the charges of landing and transporting of arms smuggled by Memon to strike terror in the city.

On the charge that he had filled RDX in vehicles in Memon's garages, the court held that while Sardar's presence had been established, it could not be proved that he had taken part in the exercise.