LeT's Abdul Tunda sentenced to life in Sonipat blasts case
A court in Haryana has sentenced Lashkar-e-Taiba's Abdul Karim Tunda to life imprisonment in the 1996 Sonipat twin bomb blasts case which injured about 15. 75-year-old Tunda was convicted yesterday. He was held guilty under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act. He has also been fined Rs. 50,000 under each section.
What was the case about?
On December 28, 1996, two blasts rocked the town of Sonipat- one near Baba Tarana Cinema and another at Geeta Bhawan Chowk. Afterwards, Tunda, Shakeel Ahmed and Mohammad Amir Khan were identified as accused. The latter two were acquitted in 2002 for lack of evidence. Tunda was nabbed in August 2013. He had claimed he was in Pakistan at the time of the blasts.
Abdul Karim Tunda has a wide reach in terror world
Tunda, LeT bomb expert, is suspected to be involved in about 40 bomb blasts in India, including the 1993 Mumbai train blasts. He reportedly helps raise funds and recruit youths for terror groups abroad and has ties with Dawood Ibrahim. He was among the 20 terrorists India had asked Pakistan to hand over after 26/11. Tunda was finally nabbed from near the Indo-Nepal border.
