Yakub Memon hanged to death: Who was he and what was he convicted for?

Yakub Memon hanged to death: Who was he and what was he convicted for?
Yakub Memon hanged to death: Who was he and what was he convicted for?
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 On July 30 morning, Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Abdul Rezak Memon was hanged to death at the Nagpur Central jail, a hanging that comes eight years after he was first found guilty of criminal conspiracy and abetment of a terrorist by a TADA court. In 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Yakub Memon, and called him mastermind of terror strike in Mumbai in 1993. Fifty-three-year old Memon is the first convict to be hanged for the Mumbai blasts case in which 275 people lost their lives. Reports says he was allowed to read the Quran and  perform Namaz, an official confirmation from the jail authorities on the hanging is yet to come. Yakub’s hanging on his birthday was preceded by nail-biting drama as the Supreme Court opened its doors to hear a last minute plea filed by Yakub Memon’s lawyer. The same three SC judges who heard the curative petition on July 29, Justices Dipak Misra, PC Pant and Amitava Roy, heard the fresh plea as well at 2.30 am in court hall no 4 of the Supreme Court. But dashing all hopes for Yakub Memon and various lawyers and activists who had convinced the court to take up the last minute plea, the court said in its verdict delivered at 4.55 am that, "It will be travesty of justice if the death warrant is stayed in a case of this nature."  Who was Yakub Abdul Rezak Memon? A chartered accountant by profession, Yakub Memon is the brother of one of the main accused in the case, Ibrahim Mushtaq alias Tiger Memon. Tiger Memon according to Indian agencies was a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim, who was the mastermind behind thirteen blasts that ripped through Mumbai in March 1993. They were six brothers- Tiger, Ayub, Yakub, Suleiman, Yusuf and Essa. The entire family was taken to Pakistan by Tiger Memon just two days before the blast. Yakub's brotehr Suleiman at Nagpur jail on Wednesday Tiger, Ayub and their wives are still absconding. The other four brothers, wives and parents returned to India in August 1994. They have maintained that they came back to the country on their own, though Indian agencies registered an arrest. What was Yakub’s connection to the blast? Many allegations against Yakub were proven in a court of law leading to his conviction by judge P D Kode of the TADA court in Mumbai on July 27, 2007. Yakub Memon was proven to be a conspirator as he had gone to Dubai between December 1992 and January 1993 along with others to take part in a meeting called by Tiger Memon, Dawood Ibrahim and his brother Anees Ibrahim, to discuss plans on how to execute the serial blasts. It was alleged that Memon had arranged Rs 21.90 lakh for the execution of the plan. The money was arranged through a co-accused Mulchand Shah and a firm Tejarath International owned by absconding accused and his brother Ayub Memon. Yakub was also accused of possession and distribution of arms and ammunition, detonators and explosives to other accused. It was proven by the prosecution that Yakub Memon had arranged for air tickets through Altafali Mushtaqali Sayyed, East West travels for those accused who were sent for arms and ammunition training to Pakistan. The Chartered Accountant brother was also accused of purchasing the vehicles which were used while planting bombs. He was also convicted under the Explosives Substances Act for asking co-accused, Amjadali Meherbux and Altafali Sayyed, to store suitcases containing arms, ammunition, hand grenades and detonators. 

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