Abu Salem put under three-month detention in Lisbon (LEAD) >From Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Abu Salem, an alleged terrorist and underworld figure pursued by Indian law enforcement agencies across four continents for the past decade, has been put under detention for three months in Lisbon after his arrest Friday, authorities here confirmed. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director P.C. Sharma said that Salem, the prime accused in the terror bomb blasts in Mumbai in 1993 that killed nearly 300 people, was arrested by Portuguese police after matching finger-prints provided by Indian authorities. "He had many disguises and there are many look-alikes. But Portuguese police, acting swiftly on the basis of finger-prints provided by us, nabbed him and placed him under detention for three months," Sharma told IANS. He said a CBI team was flying to Lisbon immediately to try to arrange for his deportation. New Delhi has no extradition treaty with Lisbon, but authorities here are confident that they have enough evidence against Salem to convince Portuguese authorities to deport him. Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani said in the eastern city of Bhubaneswar that a note verbale had been sent to Lisbon from New Delhi requesting his deportation. He also said that India would assure Portugal that Salem would not face the death penalty in India, if deported, as Lisbon was a signatory to a European Union convention prohibiting deportation of a suspect to any country that had capital punishment. Describing his arrest as the "crowning glory for the CBI", Sharma said Indian agents had been on his trail across Europe, the Middle East and even the United States since the terror blasts of March 1993 in India's financial capital following the Babri mosque demolition at Ayodhya in December 1992. Sharma said the CBI had been in touch with its counterpart in Portugal for quite some time as Salem and his consort Monica Bedi were reported to be shuttling between Portugal and Spain on forged documents. Sharma said the arrest was the result of excellent international cooperation from law enforcement agencies in many countries, including the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The CBI chief said if Salem is brought back to India, he could yield a "wealth of information" on the involvement of other major suspects such as mobboss Dawood Ibrahim and the Memon brothers in the Mumbai blasts. Besides being the prime accused in the bomb blasts, Salem is also wanted in India for a host of other terrorist crimes including killings and extortion of Bollywood celebrities, blackmail and for possession and supply of deadly weapons, including AK-56 rifles. Salem and actress Bedi, arrested along with him, were picked up on charges of holding forged documents. Salem and Bedi were taken to a court in Lisbon late Friday afternoon, where they argued their innocence before the magistrate for more than three hours. A spokeswoman for Lisbon Police said a special unit acting with Interpol arrested Salem and Bedi. "He was arrested by a special unit of the Policia Gudaiciaria," she told IANS in London on phone from Lisbon. Interpol had issued a Red Corner notice against Salem seeking his arrest. "Salem is our biggest catch so far," Sharma said. He said his arrest was the culmination of a string of top catches by his agency this year that included gangster Aftab Ansari, wanted for the terrorist attack on the American Consulate in Kolkata, and his associate Raju Adakat and Mutthapa Rai, wanted for several crimes in Karnataka. Salem is a former associate of mobboss Dawood Ibrahim who Indian police say operates out of the Middle East and Pakistan. Born in Sarai Mir village in Uttar Pradesh in 1968, Salem, the son a tailor, moved to Mumbai with his family in his childhood. He reportedly joined a criminal gang headed by Dawood Ibrahim's brother Anees while in his teens. CBI officials say Salem played a key role in obtaining explosives from Pakistan-based smugglers that were used in the terror bomb blasts in Mumbai that killed over 300 people. Salem fled India shortly after the bombings, and intelligence officials say he has since operated from safe houses in Portugal, Spain, the Middle East and even Africa. CBI officials say Salem holds a Pakistani passport. While Salem has been produced before a Portuguese court, Bedi and another associate, Hyder, have been released by the authorities there, Mumbai Police officials said. Salem was alleged arrested in the United Arab Emirates last October where he was allegedly living under an assumed name. However he was reportedly released by the authorities there as the Indian officials were unable to provide adequate evidence against Salem at that time. Officials hope that they are luckier in bringing back Salem to India this time round. - Indo-Asian News Service =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead !
