The breakthrough in the 1993 serial blasts investigation was achieved with the recovery of an RDX-laden Maruti van registered in the name of Tiger Memon`s sister-in-law, police said on Thursday.
|Last Updated: Mar 21, 2013, 10:19 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Mumbai: The breakthrough in the 1993 serial blasts investigation was achieved with the recovery of an RDX-laden Maruti van registered in the name of Tiger Memon`s sister-in-law, police said on Thursday.
Till March 14, two days after the 1993 blasts, the investigation team consisting of 162 men and led by Rakesh Maria, who is now Maharashtra ATS chief, was clueless.
"Then we got an information that an abandoned Maruti van, carrying seven AK 56s and four hand grenades, were seized by police from Worli in Central Mumbai on the day of the blasts," Maria said.
"When we verified in whose name the van was registered, we found it was in Rubina`s name with her address at Al-Hussaini building in Mahim, central Mumbai," he said.
When he reached the place along with his team on March 14, it was already locked. Upon enquiry, it surfaced that Rubina was the sister-in-law of Tiger Memon, who was a notorious smuggler and aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
Rubina is the wife of Memon`s brother Suleiman, who was acquitted by the trial court. However, she was convicted on conspiracy charges as the vehicle seized by the police was in her name.
Maria said seven people in the van had plans to drive to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and barge into the Assembly Hall for indiscriminately firing at corporators.
However, a small blast occurred when they reached Worli and apprehending trouble, they abandoned the vehicle to avert arrest and did not pursue the plan.
A total of 20 cases were registered in the city following the blasts that claimed 257 lives and left 713 injured. Property worth Rs 28 crore was destroyed.
Ten cases were of bomb explosions, two pertained to lobbing of hand grenades, two others were registered after abandoned scooters were found at different places and six cases were under Arms Act, filed at various police stations.
The probe spanned across the country with investigators visiting 70 cities and towns in 17 states.
As there were no computers or mobile phones, it was the hardwork of his men which "resulted in uncovering the faces of the accused involved in the blasts," Maria said.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.