Arms cache, Sanjay Dutt gun in CBI’s Salem chargesheet

In the chargesheet, the CBI will include statements of 20 fresh witnesses examined after Abu Salem’s extradition from Lisbon on November 11 last year along with other witnesses already produced before the TADA judge.

Sources told The Sunday Express that the chargesheet, running into around 100 pages, accuses Salem and Siddique—who was arrested in Mumbai on January 4 this year—of transporting and delivering a huge cache of arms and ammunition from a town in South Gujarat to Mumbai in January 1993.

According to the chargesheet, 10 AK-56 assault rifles, around 100 hand grenades as well as other ammunition were concealed by Salem and Siddique in false cavities in a Maruti van and then in various hideouts in Mumbai.

Some of these same grenades are suspected to have been used in blasts triggered in Mahim and Sahar airport areas, as an act of reprisal against the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

While Salem is known to have confessed to the transportation and delivery of the arms consignment during his two-week-long interrogation by the CBI, Siddique is said to have denied all involvement in the delivery.

Incidentally, it was Salem who is said to have tipped off the CBI on Siddique’s alleged role in transporting the arms in the Maruti van.

The CBI’s case is that it was one of these 10 assault rifles that was given to actor Sanjay Dutt in his Pali Hill residence. Dutt is also an accused in the case and is among the 85 on bail.

Significantly, while or shortly after filing the chargesheet, the CBI is likely to press for separating the TADA trial against Salem, Siddique and another accused don, Mohammed Dosa who wad deported from Dubai in February 2003, from the principal trial against 123 accused against whom judgement has been reserved.

Earlier, Special Judge Kode had said that the decision on clubbing or bifurcating the trials would be taken after CBI files its supplementary chargesheet.

After filing the supplementary chargesheet, the CBI will pass on to other agencies leads culled from Salem’s interrogation.

Details of the D-company’s hawala transactions, properties acquired by Salem and his accomplices in India and abroad will be handed over to the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax Department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.