-
‘They asked me to become approver, offered INR 10L and job in Dubai.”
-
Acquitted in 11/7 Mumbai train blasts, Mohammed Ali Shaikh recounts ordeal, torture, and bribe offers
A day after being acquitted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case by the Bombay High Court, 56-year-old Mohammed Ali Shaikh returned to his home in Govandi to an emotional welcome from relatives and neighbours.
“The happiness of reuniting with my family cannot be described. After 19 years, I finally sat with my wife, children, and siblings and shared a meal,” Shaikh said as he spoke to a TOI reporter outside his home, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Shaikh and co-accused Ehtesham Siddiqui were released from Nagpur jail on Monday evening after the high court ruling cleared them of conspiracy charges. “We have been freed. The truth has triumphed,” Shaikh said.
Mohammed Ali Shaikh says ATS officers tortured him, offered INR 10 lakh, a job in Dubai, and monthly expenses to turn approver in the 11/7 case—but he refused
Recounting the years of torment, Shaikh said, “We were falsely implicated, tortured, and humiliated. Even my 11-year-old son was slapped by an ATS officer.” He added that officers repeatedly visited his house, harassed his family, and once held him at gunpoint while pressuring him to become an approver. “They offered me ₹10 lakh, a job in Dubai, and ₹10,000 per month if I agreed. But I didn’t—I knew we were innocent.”
The Anti-Terrorism Squad had claimed that a Pakistani national had visited Shaikh’s home to manufacture the bombs used in the July 11, 2006 attacks. His family says the allegations were baseless. “They ruined our lives with lies,” a relative said.
While imprisoned in Thane jail, Shaikh was denied parole after the death of his brother and missed his father’s funeral. “Later, they granted parole but demanded ₹1.7 lakh for police escort from jail to Govandi. I couldn’t afford it,” he recalled.
Despite the hardships, Shaikh pursued education while in jail. He completed a degree in Arts, two courses in tourism, and appeared for the first-year MA History exam. He now plans to complete his post-graduation.
Meanwhile, another acquitted co-accused, Zameer Shaikh (50), a key-maker from Worli, was released from Amravati jail. “I’m thankful to Allah,” he told TOI while travelling. Zameer said his son, who was in Class 1 at the time of his arrest in 2006, is now a mechanical engineer, and his daughter is also studying. He said he misses his parents, who passed away while he was in jail.
