Four 1993 blast accused reveal why they betrayed Mumbai

Officials inspect damage in the basement of the Air India building on March 13, 1993, a day after a series of bombings in Mumbai. Pic/AFP

The four absconding terrorists arrested in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case have told the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) that they were brainwashed by Dawood Ibrahim's gang member Mohammad Dossa. Sources in the Gujarat ATS, which arrested Sayyed Qureshi, Shoeb Qureshi, Yusuf Bhatka and Abu Bakar in May, said they told cops that Mohammad instigated them by misleading them about the atrocities committed against the Muslim community during the 1992 riots and convinced them to join D-Company.

During interrogation, the four arrested accused told the Gujarat ATS that Mohammad Dossa, who is in Pakistan, brainwashed them into carrying out terror activities. His brother Mustafa was convicted in the 1993 blasts case and died of a heart attack in 2017.

A cop stands beside a charred car outside the Air India building, after a series of bombings, on 14 March 1993. Pic/AFP

Sayyed, Shoeb, Yusuf and Abu were gold smugglers and worked for Dossa brothers' ‘Arjun gang' in Mumbai. However, after the riots that followed the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, Mohammad Dossa and his brother Mustafa Dossa hired them to work for D-Company in December 1992.

Also Read: 1993 blasts case: CBI court sends four arrested from Gujarat to judicial custody

The four terrorists had fled India after the blasts in 1993. They visited India under changed identities on many occasions and even renewed their passports in the past 30 years, according to ATS officers. However, the authorities got their hands on them only last month when they had come again to renew their passports.

Gujarat ATS sources said, "The Dossa brothers were in-charge of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, and were responsible for hiring people and getting them training. They hired these four arrested accused in December 1992 from their Arjun gang. The Dossa brothers sent them to Dubai in December via Nepal on fake passports. They stayed in Dubai for some time and attended several meetings on the planning for the 1993 blasts."

Sayyed Qureshi, Shoeb Qureshi, Yusuf Bhatka and Abu Bakar

"They were given luxurious accommodation and lakhs of rupees. It was their first journey to Dubai. They were then sent to Pakistan, where they received training in making bombs, using RDX and other weapons, for 15 days. Dawood was present throughout the training and selected the people to execute the 1993 blasts.

"After training, Abu Bakar had the key role of supplying weapons and RDX in Mumbai from Pakistan through the sea route. Sayyed, Shoeb and Yusuf were involved in making bombs and planting them in the selected locations. Bakar was also involved in destroying all the evidence, including the remaining RDX and weapons at Dighi jetty near Murud. He then moved to the UAE and married an Iranian woman," sources added.

Sources said that the four accused told the ATS that they were connected with Dossa until before their arrest. "The accused also revealed that they settled down in the Middle Eastern countries after the 1993 blasts, with their families." The ATS also told mid-day that their families are living in the Gulf countries under fake names, and that they have informed the respective embassies.

257
No. of innocent people killed in 1993 bombings