Bhopal, November 16: Underworld don Abu Salem was today convicted on two counts in a 2001 fake passport case by a local court here.
The extradited gangster was found guilty under IPC section 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and section 12(1)(B) (suppression of information) of the Indian Passport Act by the court. He, was, however acquitted of charge under IPC section 468 (forgery).
Chief Judicial Magistrate R G Singh will pronounce the quantum of sentence on November 19 after hearing Salem’s advocate P C Bedi’s arguments.
Salem, extradited from Portugal in 2005, was present in the court today. He was brought from a Mumbai jail under tight security.
The defence counsel argued that there is no provision of sentence under IPC section 471, while under section 12(1)(B) of the Passport Act, a maximum of two-year jail term can be awarded.
–Agencies