A series of 12 bomb explosions took place in Mumbai, India on 12 March 1993. The series of explosion reportedly killed 257 and injured 713 others. On Friday, a TADA court convicted Abu Salem and five others. Whereas, another accused Abdul Qayyum was acquitted. Here let's look at the facts and updates of the infamous 1993 Mumbai bombings.
MAIN REASON BEHIND THE SERIAL BLAST
It was carried out in revenge for riots that killed many Muslims following the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya.
DAWOOD AS MASTERMIND
The attacks were coordinated by Dawood Ibrahim, don of the Mumbai-based international organised crime syndicate. Ibrahim is believed to have ordered and helped organise the bombings in Mumbai, through his subordinates Tiger Memon and Yakub Memon.
DIVIDE IN DAWOOD'S CRIME FAMILY
The bombings also divided Dawood Ibrahim's organisation, the most powerful criminal organisation in Mumbai. Following the bombing, Ibrahim's right-hand man Chotta Rajan split from the organisation and took most of the leadership-level Hindu aides with him.
POLICE MIFFS CONSPIRACY FOR A SERIAL BLAST
A small-time criminal named Gul Noor Mohammad Sheikh a.k.a. "Gullu" reportedly told the police about a conspiracy to bomb major locations around the city. However, his conspiracy claim was dismissed by the police as "mere bluff".
MAIN TARGET FOR SERIAL BLAST
The series of bombing started at 1:30 p.m. with a powerful car bomb being exploded in the basement of the Bombay Stock Exchange building.
CONSPIRATORS RAN OUT OF INDIA
Several conspirators managed to flee out of India after the bombings and were arrested and extradited to India later. They are Abu Salem, Mustafa Dossa, Firoz Khan, Taher Merchant, Riyaz Siddiqui and Abdul Qayoom.
TOTAL ACCUSED
In 2006, 100 of the 129 finally accused were found to be guilty and were convicted by Justice PD Kode of the specially designated TADA court. Most of them are still missing.
ARREST OF SANJAY DUTT
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was also convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for possession of arms. These guns were allegedly supplied by Dawood Ibrahim's gang to be trafficked to the terrorists in Mumbai for protection during potential communal riots.
CAPTURE OF YAKUB MEMON
Yakub Memon was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in 1994. He was later executed by hanging in Nagpur Central Jail on 30 July 2015.
TADA CONVICTS ABU SALEM AND FIVE OTHERS
On 16th June 2017, a TADA court convicted Abu Salem and five others. Whereas, another accused Abdul Qayyum was acquitted.
