Blast case: Memon aide held guilty

MUMBAI: A designated Tada court on Thursday convicted Parvez Nazir Ahmed Shaikh, an aide of absconding prime accused Tiger Memon, for causing explosions in Katha Bazaar and hotel Sea Rock on March 12, 1993, killing four persons and injuring several others.

He faces punishment ranging from five years to life and even death, public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said. Parvez is the ninth accused in the 1993 bomb blast case to be held guilty. Others are Yakub Memon, Yusuf Memon, Essa Memon, Rubina Memon, Mohammed Ghansar, Shahnawaz Qureshi, Asgar Mukadam, Abdul Gani Turk.

Parvez was found guilty of parking an RDX-laden scooter in Katha Bazaar area of south Mumbai, which exploded killing four persons and injuring 21 others besides damaging property worth Rs 37 lakhs.

Parvez was also held guilty for planting an RDX-bag in a room of hotel Sea Rock causing an explosion which damaged property worth Rs 9 crore. No one was killed in the blast.

He was further found guilty of conspiracy in the 1993 bomb blasts in which 257 persons were killed and 713 injured. Reading the verdict, designated judge PD Kode said he was holding Parvez guilty under provisions of Tada (P) Act, IPC, Explosives Substances Act and Explosives Act. The judge said he had partially accepted the confession of Parvez and also considered the account of witnesses who deposed against him.

Parvez, who used to sell garments outside Andheri railway station before Tiger Memon roped him in the blast conspiracy, would give his statement tomorrow on quantum of sentence to be awarded to him.

The judge held Parvez guilty of participating in landing operations of arms, ammunition and explosives at Shekhadi coast in Raigad on February 3 and 7, 1993 and filling RDX in vehicles which were planted at various places causing blasts.

However, the court acquitted him of two charges — obtaining training in handling arms and explosives on the outskirts of villages Sandheri and Bhorghat and transporting weapons from Jogeshwari to Musafir khana in Mumbai.

Parvez was found guilty under Section 3 (3) of TADA (P) Act (aiding and abetting conspiracy) and Section 3(2)(i) of the same Act (for committing terrorist acts). He was found guilty under IPC sections 120-b (conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 435 (damage to property) and 436 (damage to building).

Parvez was further held guilty under Section 3 of Explosive Substances Act (causing explosion to cause death) and Section 4(a)(b) of the same Act (causing explosion to damage property) besides Section 9-b(I)(b) of Explosives Act.
CBI contended that RDX-laden scooter parked by Parvez at Katha Bazaar, was bought in fictitious name of P B Mali of Ratlam by co-accused Raju Jain, trusted aide of Tiger Memon.

Katha blast occurred on March 12, 1993 at 2.15pm, 45 minutes after the first explosion at the BSE, while the Sea Rock blast took place at 3.10pm in which a portion of the building gave away causing a big hole in wall.

According to the confession made by Parvez, he first went to Sea Rock hotel to place RDX-laden bag in room number 1840 and on return to Tiger Memon’s Al-Husseini building he was asked to park scooter at Katha Bazaar.