Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Saturday convicted gangster Abu Salem in a 16-year-old extortion case. Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sehrawat found Salem guilty of extortion and criminal intimidation. His quantum of sentence will be announced on July 21, reported PTI.
Salem had demanded Rs 5 crore as protection money from Delhi-based businessman Ashok Gupta in 2002. Other accused in the case – Chanchal Mehta, Majid Khan, Pawan Kumar Mittal and Mohammad Ashraf – were acquitted, according to ANI. One of the accused, Sajjan Kumar Soni, died during the course of the trial.
Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in November 2005, was granted bail in the case in 2013. Earlier this year, he alleged that the trial violated his extradition order. He had also argued that there was no evidence to prove that he sought money from Gupta.
Currently, Salem is in jail in connection with other cases, including those related to the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
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