T'gana informs Pak Embassy about Hyd bomb blasts accused Zia's death penalty

Hyderabad: The Telangana Prisons Department has informed the Pakistan Embassy in New Delhi about the death penalty awarded to its national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas by a Special NIA Court here in the February 2013 Hyderabad bomb blasts which claimed 18 lives.

Describing the case as the "rarest of the rare", the Special NIA Court at the Cherlapally Central Prison here on December 19 had awarded capital punishment to five key operatives of Indian Mujahideen, including the banned terror outfit's co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and the Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman.

"Information (with regard to death penalty to the Pakistani national) has already been dispatched to the Pakistan Embassy," a senior official of Telangana Prisons said.

On December 13, the court had convicted the five operatives - IM co-founder Mohd Ahmed Sidibapa alias Yasin Bhatkal, Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas,

Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu and Ajaz Shaikh.

The convicts have gone for an appeal in the High Court.

18 people were killed and 131 injured in two deadly explosions in Dilsukhnagar, a crowded shopping area in the city, on February 21, 2013.

According to NIA, Riyaz Bhatkal, the prime accused in the case, who is absconding, arranged for explosive substances and directed Asadullah Akhtar and Zia-ur-Rahman at Mangalore to receive the same.

After receiving the explosive materials and the money sent by Riyaz through hawala and money transfer channels, Asadullah Akhtar and Rahman reached Hyderabad and joined Tahseen Akhtar, who was already hiding there, it had said.

Together they prepared two IEDs after procuring the other required materials as well as two cycles for mounting the IEDs from Hyderabad, the agency had said.

After preparation of the IEDs on February 21, 2013, they mounted two bombs on two bicycles and planted them in two separate places in Dilsukhnagar which had resulted in a powerful explosion, it had said.