Dhanbad: A Dhanbad court has sentenced Shahid Alam, Shahadat Hussain and Tanveer Alam to life imprisonment for the 2004 AK-47 attack on gangster Fahim Khan’s house in Wasseypur, bringing the over two-decade-old case to a close at the trial stage.District and sessions judge-III Paras Kumar Sinha pronounced the sentence after hearing arguments on the quantum of punishment. The three were convicted for offences including murder, criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder and violations of the Arms Act. The court awarded life imprisonment for the murder and conspiracy charges, 10 years under Section 307 of the IPC for attempt to murder and seven years under the Arms Act. All sentences will run concurrently.Advocate Shahnawaz Salam, representing Fahim, said the order was passed on Saturday. Advocate Shahbaz Salam, appearing for the prosecution, also confirmed the conviction and sentence.The case dates to Jan 29, 2004, when armed men allegedly sprayed bullets from AK-47s and other sophisticated weapons at Fahim’s residence. Fahim survived by jumping onto the roof of a neighbouring house. His bodyguard, Vinod Sharma, was killed in the firing, while another man, identified as Shahid, sustained a bullet injury in the leg.According to the prosecution, Alam and Hussain were part of the conspiracy, while Tanveer was accused of opening fire during the attack. The court had held the three guilty on Sept 28 and fixed Oct 3 for arguments on sentence.The judgment adds another chapter to the long-running gang rivalry linked to Fahim. Alam is the brother of Sabir, a rival of Fahim who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007 for the murder of Fahim’s mother, Najma Khatoon, and her sister Shehnaz Khatoon. The two women were shot dead near Diamond Crossing on Oct 18, 2001, while returning home from Purana Bazaar.Alam was later tried in the same double murder case. Charges against him were framed on March 20, 2007, and the prosecution examined seven witnesses. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Dhanbad court in 2018. The latest sentence may be challenged in an appeal under law.
