Mumbai bomb blast accused convicted

The 1993 Mumbai blasts trial resumed today (September 18) with two more accused - Asghar Mukadam and Shahnawaz Qureshi being declared guilty. The two were held guilty for executing the blasts carried out in Mumbai's Plaza Cinema in Dadar Mukadam and his cousin Mohammad Ghansar are the main accused in the blasts case. Mukadam took Ghansar to Tiger Memon's house on the morning of the blasts. Mukadam was also Tiger Memon's business manager. Mukadam is accused of planting RDX in a red Maruti van at Plaza Cinema, Dadar on the morning of March 12, 1993. The Plaza Cinema explosion killed 10 people, injured 36 and damaged property worth Rs 87 lakh. Mukadam is charged with conspiracy, and aiding and abetting a terrorist act. Along with Mukadam, accused number 29, Shahnawaz Qureishi has also been charged for parking a car packed with explosives outside Plaza Cinema. Speaking to the media after the verdict was announced, prosecutor in the case Ujjwal Nikam said, “I am very happy with the guilty verdict because Plaza Cinema was a landmark in Mumbai. People used to throng to it in large numbers and it was also close to Shiv Sena Bhavan. Asghar Mukadam has been found guilty on 14 charges, while Shahnawaz Qureshi has been found guilty on 12.” Nikam also said that it was proven in court that the people who carried out the blasts had received training in Pakistan. “There has been a judicial finding wherein it has been proven that Shahnawaz Qureshi, one of the accused, has been held guilty of undergoing training in Pakistan,” he added.