The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday moved a Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act Court in Mumbai to seek non-bailable warrants against Abdul Qayoom and Aziz Bilakhiya, absconding accused in the 1993 bomb blasts case and alleged aides of extradited gangster Abu Salem.
The agency pleaded that Qayoom and Bilakhiya were suspected to be hiding in a foreign country and urged the court to issue the warrants to apprehend them and bring them to India to face trial in the case.
The CBI further said Salem was deported from Portugal on November 11, 2005, and had named Qayoom, Bilakhiya and Riaz Siddiqui during his interrogation.
While Siddiqui was arrested for his alleged complicity in the 1993 bomb blasts, the other two had fled India and were suspected to be hiding abroad, the CBI contended.
Salem's confession described the role played by Qayoom and Bilakhiya in the distribution of arms in furtherance to the conspiracy behind the 1993 bomb blasts, it said.
Judge P D Kode deferred the matter until Wednesday for orders. The CBI also pleaded that after the warrants were issued, it would approach the court to declare the duo as proclaimed offenders and attach their properties to compel them to come to India.
About 35 accused, including Dawood Ibrahim, his brother Anees and his close aides Tiger Memon and Mohammed Dossa are shown as absconding in the chargesheet in the 1993 bomb blasts case.
They continue to evade arrest till date, the CBI said. Non-bailable warrants against all of them have already been issued and they have been declared proclaimed offenders.
