DHAKA: A special court of India on Wednesday sentenced five people to death for planting bombs on Mumbai's local trains in July 2006, killing 189 people and leaving over 800 injured.

Seven of the 12 men convicted for the train blasts have been given a life term.

The convicts were found guilty of terrorist activities and mass murder earlier this month.

Seeking the death sentence for eight convicts, the prosecution called them "merchants of death."

On September 23, the Special MCOCA court had reserved its order on sentencing in the case for September 30.

Earlier, on September 11, it had convicted 12 of the 13 accused, all allegedly having links with banned SIMI, while acquitting one.

The accused were found guilty of charges under IPC, Explosives Act, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and Indian Railway Act and those under MCOCA.

The court also found all the 12 accused guilty under Section 3 (1) (i) of MCOCA, which could also attract capital punishment.

Those convicted are Kamal Ahamed Ansari (37), Tanvir Ahmed Ansari (37), Mohd Faisal Shaikh (36), Ehtesham Siddiqui (30), Mohammad Majid Shafi (32), Shaikh Alam Shaikh (41), Mohd Sajid Ansari (34),Muzzammil Shaikh (27), Soheil Mehmood Shaikh (43), Zamir Ahmad Shaikh (36), Naveed Hussain Khan (30) and Asif Khan (38).

After 12 accused were found guilty, Judge Shinde, later, allowed the defence lawyers to examine witnesses to bring out the mitigating circumstances in the case.

Source: NDTV, ibnlive.com
BDST: 1250 HRS, SEP 30, 2015
RS