Hyderabad, November 28
A special CBI court here today awarded seven-year rigorous imprisonment to extradited gangster Abu Salem in a fake passport case.

Third special court judge for CBI cases MV Ramana Naidu had on November 18 held the underworld don guilty under different sections of Indian Penal Code for obtaining a passport under a fictitious name and address, from Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.

Salem, convicted earlier for criminal conspiracy and cheating under the IPC, was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and fined Rs 1,000 for each of the charge.

Salem, also convicted on the charge of forgery for the purpose of cheating, was sentenced to one year RI, and also slapped with Rs 1,000 fine.

He was also sentenced to one-year RI each on the charges of cheating by impersonation and for using as genuine a forged document of the IPC. All sentences will run concurrently.

“Salem has completed a term of around six years of imprisonment in the case,” CBI's senior public prosecutor TV Ramana said.

Salem was present in the court when the judgment was pronounced.

After the verdict, he was taken back to Mumbai by the jail authorities there.

Salem had procured the fake passport under the fictitious identity of Ramil Kamil Malik by submitting forged documents to the Hyderabad Regional Passport Office, in connivance with some government officials and private persons in 2001. — PTI