Pota court convicts Afroze

A special pota court today convicted suspected Al-Qaeda operative Mohammad Afroze facing the charge of developing terrorist links to create explosions worldwide.

Afroze has been found guilty under Sections 120-B, IPC (conspiracy) and section 126, IPC (committing depredation on territories of power at peace with the Government of India). On this count, he would get five years rigorous imprisonment.

Afroze was also found guilty under Section 467, IPC (forgery of valuable security) read with Section 471, IPC (using as genuine forged documents). On this count, he was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment.

Designated Judge A P Bhangale, however, acquitted him from the charge of conspiring to wage war against the nation (Section 121-A, IPC). Afroze's brother Mohammad Farooq Abdul Razaq was acquitted by the judge as police could not produce substantial evidence against him. He was charged with aiding Afroze to go abroad to join the Al-Qaeda and undertake pilot training on forged documents to accomplish their mission of bombing important places.

The state had booked Afroze under Pota but later dropped the charges against the Act. However, he faced trial under IPC for various offences, Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said. Mohammad Afroze was arrested on December 3, 2001 on charges of conspiring with the Al-Qaeda to bomb the House of Commons in the UK, Parliament House in India and Radio Towers in Australia.

Afroze had confessed before police and a magistrate that he had undertaken pilot training abroad and had also disclosed places in foreign countries where he lodged himself. However, he later retracted from his confessions.

A team of Mumbai police had gone abroad to confirm the versions given by Afroze. Later Pota charges were dropped against him owing to the lack of evidence and was tried under IPC.

The court had examined several witnesses including Former Deputy Chief Minister Chaggan Bhujbal, Former Mumbai Police Commissioner M N Singh, Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Pradeep Sawant, Former Joint Commisioner of Police Bhujangrao Mohite, Assistant Commisioner of Police Ramakant Padwal and Inspectors Dilip Patil and Vijay Joshi.