2 held guilty, 2 let off for 2007 Hyd blasts

Hyderabad: A metropolitan court here Tuesday convicted two 'Indian Mujahideen' operatives of murder and terrorism for the 2007 Hyderabad blasts where two powerful explosions ripped through a popular eatery and an open-air theatre, killing 44 people and wounding 68, prosecutors said.

Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge (in- charge) T Srinivas Rao pronounced Aneeq Shafique Sayeed and Mohammed Akbar Ismail Chowdhari guilty in the 11-year-old case but acquitted two other accused Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkash and Mohammed Sadiq Israr Ahmed Shaik for want of evidence.

The prosecution has now decided to seek capital punishment for the convicts.

All the four are natives of Maharashtra.

The quantum of punishment as also the judgement on the fifth accused Tarik Anjum, accused of harbouring the perpetrators in New Delhi and other places, will be pronounced on Monday.