#HyderabadTwinBlasts: Two terrorists sentenced to death, one gets life term
A metropolitan court in Hyderabad has sentenced two of the terrorists convicted in the 2007 twin blasts case to death and another to life imprisonment today. Two powerful explosions had ripped through a popular eatery, Gokul Chaat, and an open-air theater in the Lumbini Park Hyderabad on August 25, 2007, killing 44 people and wounding 68. Here are more details.
Two of the accused were acquitted for lack of evidence
On September 4, Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge (in-charge) T Srinivas Rao pronounced Aneeq Shafique Sayeed and Mohammed Akbar Ismail Chowdhari guilty in the case but acquitted Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkash and Mohammed Sadiq Israr Ahmed Shaik for want of enough evidence. Today, the court convicted fifth accused Tarik Anjum, charged with harboring perpetrators in Delhi and other places and awarded life imprisonment to him.
Three of the accused are absconding
Two synchronized blasts rocked Gokul Chaat, killing 32 people and injuring 47, and an open-air theater in Lumbini Park close to State Secretariat, killing 12 and injuring 21. Three other accused named in the police charge-sheets, including 'Indian Mujahideen' founder Riyaz Bhatkal, his brother Iqbal, and Amir Reza Khan are absconding. The Bhatkal brothers of Karnataka are believed to have taken shelter in Pakistan.
