Man found guilty of planting 1993 Mumbai bomb

An Indian court today found Mohammed Ghansar guilty of planting one of the bombs that ripped through the commercial capital Mumbai in 1993, killing more than 250 people.

Twelve bombs placed in scooters, cars, jeeps and hotel rooms killed 257 people as they exploded over a two-hour period in India’s deadliest terrorist attack.

The first suspect in the dock today was Ghansar.

He was accused of leaving an explosive-laden scooter outside Mumbai’s crowded Zaveri Bazar.

The blast at the market killed 17 people. Ghansar has been held without bail since his arrest 13 years ago.

He could face the death penalty.

Seven others – Asgar Mukadam, Abdul Turk, Parvez Sheikh, Bashir Khairulla, Dawood Phanse, Mohammed Farooq Pawale and Sharif Parkar – are also accused of planting bombs.

Four people have already been found guilty in the case, while three others were acquitted.

A total of 123 men and women, most of them Muslims, are accused of involvement in the bombings.

Judge Pramod Kode said verdicts would be handed out in groups and sentencing for all those convicted will be pronounced afterwards, a process likely to take at least two months.