Two persons convicted for conspiring to set on fire the ONGC headquarters, a mall and a theatre were sentenced to 12 and 10 years’ imprisonment by a sessions court.
Abdul Latif alias Guddu and Riyaz Ali were sentenced to 12 and 10 years of imprisonment, respectively, by sessions Judge Sanjay Patil after Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian sought strict punishment for the duo. Further, a fine of '10,000 and '5,000 was imposed on Guddu and Ali, respectively.
Following a tip-off, ATS had been keeping a watch on the duo suspected of a conspiracy to set on fire ONGC headquarters in Bandra, Mangaldas Market and Thakkar Mall in suburban Borivali, and Gaiety and Galaxy theatres in Bandra. Once the agency was sure the plan would be executed, the duo was arrested from central Mumbai on March 14, 2010.
The court on Thursday convicted the duo under different sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Sections 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house etc.) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The police also claimed that Guddu was in touch with one Bashir Khan aka “Uncle” based in Pakistan and both Guddu and Ali were working as per Uncle’s directions. Police seized petrol from the duo, which was to be used to set fire to the targets. According to the charge sheet, “Uncle” is an accused in the Mumbai 1993 serial blasts and runs a construction business in Karachi.
