NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Rediff Shopping

Shop & gift from thousands of products!   Books     Music       Apparel   Jewellery   Flowers   More..      Safe Shopping

6 found guilty for attack on former Bombay mayor

A special court Monday found six Chhota Shakeel gang members guilty for involvement in a murderous assault on former Bombay mayor Milind Vaidya last year.

The period of sentence will be pronounced on Tuesday, by Judge A P Bhangale of the special court, set up under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

Vaidya was attacked outside his residence at Mahim, in central Bombay, on March 4 last year. This is the first case and judgement under the act, enacted to tackle organised crime in the state.

Those found guilty are Mohammed Farooq Gafoor Chipa Rangari, Mansoor Hasan Haji Pankar, Abdul Hasan Mistry, Mohammed Zuber Kasam Sheikh, Inter-Services Intelligence agent Fazal Mohammed Sheikh and Azizuddin Azahirudin Sheikh.

The court acquitted Aslam Kutty and Abdul Kadar for want of evidence against them. Special public prosecutor Rohini Salian appeared on behalf of state of Maharashtra.

The accused, while leaving the courtroom, shouted 'God is great'.

On March 4, 1999, at about 2145 hours, Vaidya and nine others were in the shed of Shiv Sena shakha 71, on the footpath of Mori Road, Mahim. At 2205 hours, a white Maruti 800 bearing a fake number plate came from Mahim junction and slowed down near the shed, where Vaidya and others were seated.

The assailants, seated at the rear of the car, fired in the direction of Vaidya and others, from an AK-56 rifle and pistols. Ten persons were injured. Out them, three succumbed to their injuries and the rest, including Vaidya were sent to Hinduja hospital. The crime branch registered a case the next day and began investigations.

The car used by the shooters was found abandoned at Wadala, central Bombay, after three days. Empty cartridges and other incriminating articles were found in the car. The crime branch arrested all the accused from Bombay, Lucknow and Delhi.

For the first time, the special court attached movable and immovable property of absconding gangster Shakeel at Peru lane.

The special court had commenced the trial on February 11 this year. The trial was conducted in camera, where 63 prosecution witnesses were examined; one defence and court witness were also questioned.

During the trial, the special court judge also visited the place of offence in the presence of the defence lawyer and the special public prosecutor Salian.

UNI

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report