New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) A special CBI court in Ahmedabad on Tuesday sentenced a co-conspirator of terrorist Aftab Ansari to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment in connection with the recovery of a huge cache of weapons in Gujarat's Patan 22 years ago, officials said.

Akhtar Hussain Basir Ahmed, the co-conspirator, had reportedly gone underground after the weapons were recovered on the intervening night of October 26-27, 2001, and surrendered 11-years later on May 30, 2012 before a court.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had seized a truck in Patan district and recovered a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including 14 kg of RDX, four kg of plastic explosives, two AK-47 rifles, four AK-56, two pistols, two rifles, a radio set, loaded magazines, remote control devices, 500 live rounds, 250 pistol bullets, detonators and timers.

The CBI had taken over investigation of the case on October 29, 2001 resulting the conviction of four persons, including mastermind of the American Center attack in Kolkata Aftab Ansari, who was brought to the country from Dubai in 2002. Pakistani national Adam Cheema is absconding in the case.

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Special Judge C G Mehta convicted Ahmed on Monday and handed over the sentence on Tuesday.

"Akhtar Hussain Basir Ahmed was absconding during investigation. He surrendered before the court on May 30, 2012 and was sent to judicial custody. The said accused was not released on bail," a CBI spokesperson said.

The agency had filed a supplementary charge sheet against Ahmed on November 8, 2012.

The CBI had claimed that Ansari admitted to having links with terrorists in Pakistan especially with Omar Sheikh, one of the three terrorists released by India to end the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 in Kandhar.

The agency had said that investigation revealed the role of Ansari as the main accused in smuggling of these arms and ammunition.

It was alleged that Ansari had used the services of hawala operators in sending money to his henchman Aqib, who, in turn, would pay gunrunners who brought arms consignment into the country from Pakistan.

Ansari allegedly used the services of hawala operators in forwarding Rs 25 lakh cash to Aqib so that he could pay the money to the persons who brought the consignment.

Aqib had stated during interrogation that he was instructed to transport the arms and explosives in a truck from the border, the agency had claimed.

"The deal was being carried out under the instructions and supervision of Aftab Ansari. The instructions were received on telephone as well as on e-mail in the name of Abdal who is none other than Aftab Ansari," the CBI had said.

Ansari has been convicted in the American Center attack case and serving life sentence in a prison in Kolkata.

Five persons, including four police constables, were killed and 20 were injured when two motorbike-borne killers carried out a shooting attack on the American Center security staff on January 22, 2002.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)