New Delhi: Underworld don and the main accused in the 1992 Bombay bomb blast case, Abu Salem has raised the communal bogey in a submission to Portuguese court to save his skin, alleging that he would be victimised if extradited to India as he belonged to a minority community.

His submission has been forwarded to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) through Ministry of External Affairs and the agency is now planning to make a counter submission to the Portugal court, where the extradition trial is under process.

Salem has hired a London-based lawyer, who fought the extradition case of Bollywood music director Nadeem from London. Nadeem was wanted by Mumbai police for his alleged involvement in the murder of music magnate Gulshan Kumar.

The underworld don, in his plea submitted before the Portuguese court has claimed that he would be victimised after his arrival in India as he belonged to a minority community, agency sources said.

However, the CBI, which was preparing its reply, would be citing the secular traditions of the country and was expected to negate all the apprehensions of Salem.

The CBI sources said that this was a desperate bid by the fugitive to avoid his extradition to the country where he faces serious charges like conspiring in the 1993 Bombay blast in which 257 people were killed and property over Rs 30 crore was damaged.

However, Salem would have to face charges in Portugal in case of forging his Resident Work Permit and marrying a local girl on these documents.

PTI