A special TADA court here on Friday convicted six persons including mastermind Mustafa Dossa and extradited gangster Abu Salem in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, 24 years after the attacks left 257 people dead. The court, however, let off one accused — Abdul Quayyum — for want of evidence.

This was the second leg of the trial. All the seven accused were facing multiple charges which included criminal conspiracy, waging war against the Government of India and murder. In the first leg of the trial that concluded in 2007, the TADA court had convicted 100 accused in the case, while 23 people were acquitted.

The present trial of the seven accused — Salem, Dossa, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui, Tahir Merchant and Quayyum — was separated from the main case as they were arrested at the time of conclusion of the main trial.

The dastardly attacks had also left 713 seriously injured and destroyed properties worth ₹27 crore.

Besides Siddiqui, all the other five convicts were pronounced guilty by Special Judge GA Sanap for criminal conspiracy, murder under various sections of the IPC besides offences under TADA, Explosives Act, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Destruction of Public Property Act. Siddiqui was convicted only under TADA, for helping Salem and others in transportation of arms.

The court, however, absolved all the seven accused in the case from the charge of waging war against the nation.

While Dossa allegedly masterminded the landing of explosives including RDX in India and sent some youth to Pakistan to acquire arms training to execute the strikes, Salem transported weapons from Gujarat to Mumbai ahead of the blasts. He had also handed over to actor Sanjay Dutt — who was an accused in the case for illegally possessing weapons — AK 56 rifles, 250 rounds and some hand grenades at his residence on January 16, 1993. Two days later, Salem and two others went to Dutt’s house and got back two rifles and some rounds.

The court had dropped certain charges against Salem in 2013 after the CBI moved a plea, saying those charges were against the extradition treaty between India and Portugal. The arguments for sentencing in the case (for six convicts) is likely to commence on Monday.

Though the hearing in the case began in 2007, it was delayed as three petitions were pending with the Supreme Court, one each filed by Dossa and Salem, and another by CBI. The trial resumed in 2012 and concluded this March.

The blasts took place at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Katha Bazaar, Lucky petrol pump near Sena Bhavan, opposite Passport Office near Century Bazaar, Fishermen’s Colony at Mahim Causeway, at basement of Air India Building, Zaveri Bazaar, Hotel Sea Rock, Plaza Theatre, Centaur Hotel (Juhu), Sahar Airport (Bay no 54) and Centaur Hotel (near airport).

This was the first-ever terrorist attack in the world where RDX was used on such a large scale after the Second World War.

According to the prosecution, in order to avenge the demolition of Babri Masjid, members of the crime syndicate under the fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim along with other absconding accused Tiger Memon, Mohammed Dossa and Mustafa Dossa hatched a conspiracy to commit terrorist acts in India.

The prosecution said that the object of the crime was to commit terrorist acts with an intent to overawe the Government of India, to strike terror on the people, alienate section of the people and to harm the communal harmony.

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