Mumbai: In keeping with a judicial directive, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would table a report in a special court on March 10 on the status of 34 absconding accused, including India's most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim.

CBI would also inform the court about the prospects of deporting gangster Abu Salem from Lisbon in Portugal where he is facing a case of illegal stay.

Salem is the prime accused in this case and had allegedly helped Dawood Ibrahim in distributing arms and ammunition to the accused. He had also carried weapons to the residence of film actor Sanjay Dutt.

Designated judge P D Kode has asked CBI to file on March 10 a status report on efforts made by the agency to trace and arrest them.

The judge has made it clear that after March 10 he would not allow CBI to add any accused to the existing 122 facing the trial. He may on March 10 fix the date for the judgement as the trial has reached its fag end. As and when the accused are caught they could be tried separately.

About 34 accused are reportedly absconding. Among them are Tiger Memon, Mohammed Dossa, Anees Ibrahim and Javed Chikna. They are believed to be holed up in Pakistan.

Eighty-six accused, including actor Sanjay Dutt, are on bail. About 35 others are lodged in central prison since last nine years. On December 9, CBI had wound up its arguments and closed the case.

The trial commenced on June 30, 1995. CBI examined 687 witnesses and recorded their evidence running into 13,000 pages. Thirteen explosions had shattered the city on March 12, 1993, killing 257 people and injuring 713.

PTI