A special court in Kolkata sentenced life imprisonment to Dubai-based mafia don Aftab Ansari along with four others for kidnapping shoe baron Partha Roy Burman in 2001. It is worth mentioning that Aftab Ansari has already been given the death sentence in American Center terror attack case. Announcing the judgment, additional district judge Biswarup Bandyopadhyay acquitted 17 other accused for lack of evidence.

 

The owner of the shoe-manufacturing firm Khadim, Partha Roy Burman was kidnapped in 2001 and released for a ransom of Rs 3.75 crore. It was reported that a part of the ransom was used for funding the 9/11 attack in New York and Washington. The four other accused who were awarded life imprisonment include Happay Singh, Aquib Ali, Abdur Rehman Punji and Asabuddin. Apart from life term, the five accused were fined Rs 5,000 each. Mafia don Ansari had planned out the kidnapping of Burman in Dubai.

 

Ansari had also made calls from a Pakistan-based telephone number for demanding the extortion money. Around 139 witnesses were examined during the trial. Earlier CID had filed charge sheet against 35 accused and the trial began on 2005. Two of the key accused, Asif Reza Khan and Obeda, died during the trial. The kidnapping case suffered setbacks after some of key witnesses including Burman turned hostile. The shoe baron in fact declined to identify his voice, recorded in an audio tape while he was in the custody of his abductors.