33 years on, 12 convicted in Gujarat arms smuggling case linked to Dawood

The case relates to a conspiracy allegedly hatched by Dawood, later designated an international terrorist, and associates based in Dubai and Pakistan to avenge the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, by smuggling a large consignment of arms and explosives, including RDX, into India via the sea route to carry out attacks and trigger communal unrest.

Of the 46 accused in the case, 17 were acquitted during the course of proceedings, 11 died during trial, and 15 remain absconding, according to case records. The accused, including Dawood, were booked under various sections of the TADA Act, the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act, and the Explosives Substances Act.

Special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court judge R P Mogera convicted the 12 accused and sentenced 10 of them to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and two to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment, said special public prosecutor Tushar Gokani.

In a trial spanning more than three decades, the prosecution examined 63 witnesses and relied on seizure material, documents, and testimony to establish the chain of conspiracy and movement of arms.

An FIR was registered at Jamnagar B-division police station in July 1993. The verdict comes nearly 33 years after an investigation that ran for several years, led by now-retired IPS officers PK Jha and Satish Verma, and current Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special director Manoj Shashidhar.

According to the prosecution, the conspiracy involved sourcing arms and explosives from Pakistan and transporting them via the Arabian Sea using mechanised vessels. The operation centred on a launch identified as “Sada Al Bahar”.

The consignment included AK-series rifles, hand grenades, RDX, bombs, detonators, and cartridges and was first loaded near Karachi and transferred mid-sea onto the vessel.

The boat was owned by accused Mustafa Dossa alias Mustafa Majnu Seth, who died of cardiac arrest at Mumbai’s JJ Hospital on June 28, 2017. This happened just one day after the CBI had sought the death penalty for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, while he was lodged in Arthur Road Jail. The boat was directed to a sea point near Karachi, where it received weapons from a vessel linked to Pakistan’s Marine Security Agency.

The vessel remained in the open sea for hours, maintaining contact with handlers through satellite communication. During this time, two other boats approached “Sada Al Bahar”, and part of the consignment was transferred to them. One vessel moved towards Maharashtra, while the remaining consignment continued towards Gujarat.

As the vessel neared the Gujarat coast, contact was established with operatives on land to confirm the route was clear. After receiving confirmation, it anchored near the shore, where local operatives arrived in smaller boats and unloaded the arms and explosives near the Gosabara coast in Porbandar district.

To facilitate the smuggling, accused from Bedi village in Jamnagar and Salaya-Mandvi in Kutch were recruited by the conspirators.

The material was then transported inland using trucks and other vehicles to locations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and elsewhere. “Sada Al Bahar” later returned to Dubai, while operatives from Jamnagar and Kutch were instructed to go into hiding. The full extent of the conspiracy emerged only after their arrests.

The prosecution record states that boats linked to the Marine Security Agency were encountered at sea during the transfer of the consignment.

Investigators later seized arms, ammunition, and vehicles from various accused during the probe. Recoveries included AK-series rifles, hand grenades, cartridges, and other explosive material. The investigation, which began in 1993, continued for several years, with multiple arrests and charge sheets filed as more accused were identified.

The court on Monday convicted Osman Usman Umar Koredja, Maman Alimamad alias Mamdu, Harun Adam Sandhar Vaghera, Ahmed Ismail Oliya, Arif Abdul Rehman alias Arif Lamba, Iftikhar Mohammad Yunus Ansari, Mohammad Ayub Abdul Kayum Ansari alias Ayub Tanko, Laxman Hardas Ahir, Mohammad Salim alias Salim Kuta, Umar Miya alias Mumtaz Ismail Miya alias Punjmiya Saiyed Bukhari, Istiyaq Ahmed Mohammad Yunus Ansari, and Kadir Ahmed Amim Ahmed Sheikh.

Those shown as absconding include Dawood Ibrahim Sheikh, Mohammad Ahmed Umar Dosa, Tiger Memon, Javed Chikna, Ibrahim Abdul Razak alias Tiger Memon, Anis Ibrahim Kaskar, Anwar Samba, Chhota Shakeel, Tony Keralian, Firoz Abdul Rehman, Afzal Dawoodbhai Meman, Gaffar alias Raja, Abdul Sattar Abdul Rahim, and Anis Mohammed alias Anis Lamba, among others.