Did Tiger Memon ask 1993 blasts accused to set up arms factory?

Mumbai: Tahir Merchant, an accused in 1993 serial bomb blasts, was planning to set up an arms-making factory in the country along with co-accused in the case at the behest of prime absconding accused Tiger Memon, CBI told a court on Monday.

The investigating agency, while seeking further custody of Tahir, on Monday told the special court that the accused has admitted to his association with Tiger Memon and other convicts in the blasts case and has also claimed to have had plans to set up an arms factory in India.

"Tahir has admitted that soon after the Babri Masjid demolition, funds were collected in Dubai in order to plan an attack against Hindus in India," the CBI remand application says.

Tahir's lawyer, however, opposed the CBI contention and said Tahir has been falsely implicated in the case.

"CBI wants to forcibly extract confession from Tahir. The agency is relying solely on the confessions of four other accused in the case who have allegedly named Tahir as one of the conspirators," his lawyer Rizwan Merchant argued.

Special CBI Judge M R Deshpande remanded Tahir to CBI custody till June 19.

Tahir Merchant alias Taklya was arrested on June 8 by CBI after he was deported from Abu Dhabi.

Tahir, who was declared a proclaimed offender by a special TADA court in October 1993, has been accused of arranging for his co-accused to be sent to Pakistan via Dubai to undergo arms training.