M A I N   N E W S

Mayor case: 3 get death penalty

MUMBAI, Sept 5 (UNI) — an ISI agent and two members of the Chhota Shakeel gang were today sentenced to death after being found guilty of an attempt to kill former Mumbai Mayor Milind Vaidya last year in which three bystanders were killed and eight injured.

Mohammed Zuber Sheikh, Abdul Fazal and Azzizuddin Sheikh, an ISI agent and member of the militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba, were given the death penalty by the Special Court of Justice A.P. Bhangale set up under the recently-enacted Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Abdul Hasan, another gang member, got life term and Farooq Rangari and Mansoor Pankar were awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,00,000. Failure to pay the fine would attract jail for three more years.

The remaining two accused were acquitted.

The verdict was pronounced in a packed court, a day after Mr Justice Bhangale had found six of the eight accused guilty.

The judge gave them 30 days to file an appeal against the verdict. The case against Chhota Shakeel, alias Babu Mohiddin Sheikh, and Mohammad Faheem, who had absconded, would be kept alive.

Former Mumbai Mayor Milind Vaidya was shot at a year ago in front of his Mori Road residence in Mahim. Three bystanders — Vikas Atre, Milind Chaudhury and Deepak Akre — were killed and eight others injured in the sensational shoot-out. The case was registered against the accused under the provisions of the mcoca, IPC and Arms Act.

Mr Vaidya was injured in the shoot-out.

Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian also submitted before the court that the gangster Azzizuddin was an agent of the ISI and an AK-56 assault rifle was recovered from him when he was arrested.