Mumbai blasts convict Mustafa Dossa dead before sentencing

Mangalore Today News Network

MUMBAI, DH News, Jun 28 2017: Notorious smuggler Mustafa Dossa, who was convicted by a special court recently, in connection with the 12 March 1993 serial blasts case, had died in the government-run Sir JJ Hospital, hours before he was to be sentenced.

Dossa had taken part in the landing of RDX and AK-56 rifles at Raigad coast ahead of the blasts besides being present at the Dubai conspiracy meeting at his brother Mohammed Dossa’s residence - in which Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon were also present.

On 16 June, Additional Sessions Judge GA Sanap, who presides over a special court set up under Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), convicted him besides five others including Abu Salem.

He was brought to India from the Gulf a few years ago and faced the trial before the special court.

In the wee hours of Wednesday, he was shifted to the jail ward of the Sir JJ Hospital. He was facing hyper-tension, fever and uncontrolled diabetes.

During the course of arguments over the quantum of sentence over the last few days, the CBI had sought death penalty

CBI counsel Deepak Salvi, however, said that he does not have any information on the health update of the convict.

Dr T P Lahane, the Dean of Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, could not be contacted.

The trial of the seven accused — Abu Salem, Mustafa Dossa, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui, Tahir Merchant and Abdul Quayyum — was separated from the main case as they were arrested at the time of conclusion of the main trial. Of the seven accused, Abdul Quayyum was acquitted for lack of evidence. In the main trial, 100 accused were convicted of which Yakub Memon was executed.