January 10, 2003	Friday	Ziqa’ad 6, 1423

NEW DELHI, Jan 9: The Indian government promised on Thursday not to impose a death sentence on a man charged with involvement in a series of bomb blasts in 1993, even if he is found guilty, so as to ensure his extradition from Portugal.

Abu Salem, Monica Bedi and Syed Haider were arrested by Portugese police on September 18 and have remained in custody since then on suspicion of possessing false documents.

Indian prosecutors have charged Salem with involvement in a series of bomb blasts in Mumbai in 1993 that killed 260 people.

A government statement said Portugal had told India its request for the extradition of Salem and Bedi was unlikely to be granted by a Portuguese court without an assurance that they would not be executed even if they were sentenced to death under Indian law.

Portugal also demanded an assurance that they would not spend more than 25 years in jail even if they were sentenced to life imprisonment, the statement said.

Salem is also a suspect in the murder of music magnate Gulshan Kumar five years ago, and has been accused of extorting money from people in India’s film industry. Police say Salem was a key associate of Dawood Ibrahim, whom they accuse of financing the 1993 Mumbai blasts.—Reuters