Abu Salem’s lawyer to take on minister over allegations of luxurious treatment

PUNE/ BHOPAL - Saba Qureshi, the lawyer of gangster Abu Salem, said that she would file complaints against Ramesh Bagwe, Maharashtra’s Minister for Home, for alleging that the criminal was receiving ‘five-star treatment’ in jail.

Reportedly, on visiting Arthur Road jail, in which Abu Salem was housed, Bagwe had found out that Salem was living a very luxurious life.ureshi termed Bagwe’s statements as false allegations.

“Whatever Bagwe has said is absolutely wrong that he is getting a ‘five-star treatment’. Whatever he is getting is by the orders of the court. The bedding and everything, all the facilities are granted by the court. I think it was a cheap act to say that, and put such an allegation on him without verifying any orders and speaking,” said Qureshi on Wednesday.

Salem has now been shifted to the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai after his fellow inmate Mustafa Dossa, a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang, attacked him inside the high security Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.

Qureshi also said that Salem does not feel safe in the jail, and has been shifted as it takes three hours to reach the court from the jail.

Qureshi denied the speculations that Salem planned an attack on himself that he can go back to Portugal.

“He does not want to go back to Portugal. There are other conditions, which are violated by the government, by the Indian courts. He should not be tried under certain sections, but still he is being tried. That is the biggest violation but we are still not moving to the Supreme Court because then he will be called back to Portugal. He does not want to go back, he wants to stay here. He has his family living and house here and he says he will never leave and go back,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rizwan Merchant, Mustafa Dossa’s lawyer, claimed that Salem inflicted injuries on himself to implicate Dossa.

“Instructions from our complainant’s side are that such an incident never occurred, and Abu Salem has injured himself to prepare grounds to be able to go back to Portugal. This is because in his extradition treaty, there is provision for these grounds by the court that he should get full security, and if his life is under threat he could be sent back,” said Merchant.

After getting permission from a special court, the Crime Branch took the custody of Dossa and his associate Abdul Qayyum Sheikh.

Salem is a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts and is facing trail for eight other cases, including murder.

He has been in the south Mumbai jail since he was extradited from Portugal in 2005. (ANI)