tahir Merchant was sentenced to death for being one of the main conspirators of the blasts
Nadeem Pisshori, Merchant's nephew
"I do not know whether he felt malice or remorse for his acts, but he was visibly disturbed after being given the death sentence in September 2017," said a relative of Tahir Merchant, the 1993 Mumbai blasts verdict who died in Pune on Wednesday.
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Merchant was sentenced to death for being one of the main conspirators of the blasts. Born and brought up in Dongri, Merchant was a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and was also one of the few people who fled to Dubai with Dawood.
Hawala links
"The TADA court had framed charges against him for conspiring and facilitating money from ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) to Mumbai through hawala" said a police official.
Merchant's family now lives in Ashrafi Tower on Khandia street. He is survived by his wife Anjum, 55, and son Mohammed, 21. Last week, he looked healthy when his family met him, but today [Wednesday] we got to know about his death from Yerwada jail officials. The family is in deep shock," said Nadeem Pisshori, Merchant's nephew, adding, "He had suffered a stroke two years ago and recovered in JJ Hospital."
After he was awarded the death penalty, his family had moved Supreme Court. "We were confident of his death penalty being cancelled, as he had a very indirect role, and no criminal record," said another family member. Another relative said Merchant's body will be brought to Dongri and his last rites will be performed in the Bada Kabarastan.
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