I did not connive with Tiger: Yakub Memon

Yakub Memon, held guilty of conspiring to commit terrorist acts during the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, on Thursday told a TADA court he was dragged into the case only because he was the brother of prime accused Tiger Memon who is absconding.

In his statement before the designated court on Thursday, Yakub, who was found guilty on Tuesday, said it was not correct that he had connived with Tiger to execute the explosions in Mumbai on March 12, 1993 that killed 257 people.

Yakub said Tiger was a non-resident Indian and used to come to India to stay with him and his family. Yakub said he used to go to Dubai for business purposes and that he and Tiger were busy in their respective business careers.

Denying that he was close to Tiger, Yakub said although they were blood relatives, there was not much affection between them. He also denied having financed the 1993 blasts by making payments to the co-accused through Moolchand Shah and a business firm.

About the payment made to East West Travel Agency for the passage of members of the Memon family to Dubai, Yakub said Tiger had made the payments and he had nothing to do with financing the blasts.

"It is a matter of coincidence that we had gone to Dubai a day before the blasts and their was nothing unusual about it because the family had business interests in Dubai and used to frequently visit the UAE," Yakub said.

Yakub also denied he lent his car to be used by those behind the bomb blasts. He said he does not own any car and the vehicle used in the blasts belonged to his family and was occassionally used by him.

Regarding the charge that he had given two suitcases with explosives to Amjad Meher Baksh, who passed it on to other accused, Yakub said the Supreme Court had discharged Baksh and there was no question of his (Yakub's) involvement in the matter.

Yakub also denied that the premises at Al-Husseini building, which were used to store explosives, belonged to him. He claimed he did not own any apartment in the building.

In an emotional appeal, Yakub said he surrendered to the authorities on July 28, 1994, and was followed by his family.

He said he had cooperated with the CBI in its investigation and regretted that he was being framed for conspiracy.