Abu Salem
Abu SalemReuters

Odious gangster Abu Salem, who was handed over to India by Portugal after an extended legal battle for the 1993 serial blast in Mumbai, has been convicted for the murder of builder Pradeep Jain.

Salem was found guilty by a special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) court on Monday for shooting down the builder outside his house in Juhu in 1995 with the help of other hired assailants. Salem committed the crime over a property dispute with Jain.

The trial in this case began in 2008, in which five were named accused including Salem, builder Virendra Jhamb, Mehndi Hassan, Naeem Khan and Riyaz Siddiqui. Khan later had become an approver in the case along with Siddiqui.

However, as per the reports of The Times Of India, Sidiqqui later withdrew from being an approver in the case and is presently undergoing a trial separately.

The TADA court in January last year retracted a few charges against Salem in Jain murder case in order to maintain a pleasant relationship with Portugal. This has been the first conviction of Salem in India after he was brought from Portugal in 2005.