Mumbai: Extradited gangster Abu Salem today told a court here that he was attacked by Mustafa Dossa, a close aide of the fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, because he was going to expose Dossa's illegal activities in jail.
Salem deposed before the Esplanade magistrate's court here in connection with the attack on him inside the high-security Arthur Road jail here in July 2010.
"Salem was today examined as the first witness," said public prosecutor Kiran Bendbar.
Salem narrated the sequence of events. "Dossa had prepared to attack me and kept a kaapni (sharpened spoon) ready," he told the court.
He alleged that he was attacked because he had made several complaints to authorities about Dossa's illegal activities.
The gangster said he had complained that Dossa smoked in the jail yard where they were lodged together but officials did not pay heed and only asked him to file a written complaint.
Salem also said that two days before the attack, when Dossa was to be taken to Gujarat for a court hearing, he was allowed to go outside in the afternoon which was against the rules.
"On the day of the incident, on July 24, 2010, Dossa came in front of my barrack and abused me and assaulted me with sharp-edged spoon," Salem said. While assaulting, Dossa said that he would kill him, he added.
"While Dossa assaulted me, Abdul Qayyum (another accused) incited him. The spoon had been hidden in Dossa's barrack," Salem said.
However, when the court asked Salem to identity the spoon among the exhibits of the case, he did not identify it.
He also did not identify the T-shirt which the police said he was wearing that day.
Salem would be cross-examined on May 13.
The crime branch dropped the charge of attempt to murder against Dossa after taking over the probe. He is being tried for causing grievous hurt and intimidation.
Salem has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1995 murder of Mumbai-based builder Pradeed Jain.
Salem, Qayyum and Dossa are accused in the Mumbai 1993 blast case and the trial against them is pending.