93 serial blasts accused arrested

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Saturday arrested Feroze Abdul Rashid Khan 40,an accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case,and handed him over to the CBI. The police said Khan was a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim and Mustafa Dossa. The CBI had announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for any information that may lead to Khans arrest.

Khan is a navy petty officers son. He played a crucial role in the landing of arms and explosives used in the 1993 serial blasts. He even transported them to the city and stored them in his house in Kurla. When we started detaining people for investigation after the blasts,he even tried to dispose them of at a creek in Kandalgaon, said Joint Commissioner of Police Crime Rakesh Maria.

As many as 21 witnesses deposed against Khan in the 1993 blasts trial,Rakesh Maria said.

Following the blasts,he fled to Nepal. Using a bogus Nepali passport under the name Ferozuddin Hamza,he travelled to Dubai and Oman. He visited Pakistan three times to meet Dawood and also attended his brother Mustaqins wedding. Khan has been working for Mustafa Dossa for sometime now, said Maria.

When his Nepali passport got expired in 2004,Khan returned to India the next year. He was residing in Koparkhairane,said the police.