'93 blasts: 2 Memon aides guilty

Mumbai: Two close associates of absconding prime accused Tiger Memon were among four men held guilty by a court in Mumbai on Friday for their role in the 1993 bomb blasts in the city that killed 257 people.

Raju Laxmichand Jain alias Raju Kodi and Farooq Motorwala, close aides of Tiger, were found guilty of aiding and abetting terrorist acts linked to the 1993 serial blasts conspiracy. The two other men, Ayub Patel and Mujib Parkar, were convicted for various offences.

The TADA court accepted the confession of Raju and those of other accused, which revealed he had sent his men and four jeeps to Shekhadi coast in Raigad district on February 3 and 7, 1993 to help Tiger in smuggling arms and RDX that arrived by a ship from Pakistan.

With Friday’s conviction, the total number of people convicted by Judge P D Kode has risen to 70.

All four men face prison terms ranging from five years to life. Their statements on the quantum of sentence will be recorded on November 13.

Raju was held guilty of aiding and abetting terrorist acts under Section 3(3) of the TADA act but was acquitted of a charge of conspiracy.

Farooq was held guilty of visiting Dubai, en route to Pakistan for arms training, on a forged passport. Though he returned from Dubai and did not go Pakistan, the court ruled he had helped Tiger in his designs to cause terror.