Witness deposes against Qayyum in Gulshan Kumar murder case

Three years after Abdul Qayyum Shaikh was deported from Dubai for his alleged role in the murder of audio king Gulshan Kumar, the first witness in the case deposed against him before a local court today.

Kumar was shot dead by three assailants outside a temple on August 12, 1997.

The complainant deposed before the Sewree sessions court and supported the prosecution's case saying that he had seen three persons opened fire at Kumar.

The prosecution has informed the court that it would examine nine witnesses in the case against Qayyum.

According to the prosecution, Qayyum was one of the conspirators who attended a meeting at Dubai where the plot to kill Kumar was hatched.

The meetings allegedly took place in the Dubai office of Anees Ibrahim, brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

The prosecution has contended that gangster Abu Salem and absconding accused and music composer Nadeem Saifee were also present in the meetings.

Kumar was murdered allegedly due to business rivalry.

Music baron Ramesh Taurani had allegedly paid Rs25 lakh to Salem to eliminate Kumar.

However, police could not prove the conspiracy angle and Taurani and 17 other accused were acquitted by the trial court.

The state has filed an appeal in Bombay high court against the lower court's verdict acquitting the accused.

Salem, who was extradited from Portugal, is shown as absconding accused in Kumar's murder.

The treaty signed with Portugal did not mention that he would be tried in this case.

Nadeem was in London at the time of Kumar's murder and has not returned since then.

The government sought extradition of Nadeem but lost the case in a UK court.