1993 blasts: 5 cops guilty

The designated TADA court on Tuesday held five policemen guilty of allowing smooth passage of arms and ammunition that were used in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

Suspended police sub inspector Vijay Patil and four constables allowed the ammunition to be transported from Raigad to Mumbai.

It also acquitted three other constables.

The constables who were found guilty were Ashok Muleshwar, P M Mahadik, Ramesh Mali and S Y Pashilkar.

All the five policemen were convicted under Section 3(3) of TADA (aiding and abetting terrorist acts).

Also, Patil was convicted for being party to conspiracy, under Section 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code.

All of them were found guilty of accepting Rs 7 lakh from another accused Uttam Potdar and customs inspector Gurav for allowing trucks carrying arms to pass through Ghondgar Phata on January 9, 1993.

Explosives, including RDX, had been smuggled from Pakistan and ferried by speedboat to Shekhadi coast in Raigad.

Patil was in custody for five years and later released on bail. On Tuesday, he was summoned to the court for the verdict and taken into custody soon thereafter.

However, the TADA court acquitted three other constables -- Krishna Mokal, Krishna Pingle and Manohar More.

Though the court accepted that there were seven constables who allowed the trucks to pass through, the identity of the three could not be established, leading to the acquittals.