Friday, November 11 2005 09:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In a major breakthrough, CBI has secured extradition of underworld don and one of the main accused in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts Abu Salem from Portugal.

Highly placed CBI sources said Salem along with his girl friend Monica Bedi arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport in Mumbai at 2.00 AM today (Nov 11, 2005) from where they were brought to the national capital in the wee hours. Security at all airports from Lisbon to Delhi had been tightened with the CBI team bringing the duo after a stopover at Frankfurt, the sources said.

This is the first extradition from any European nation to India which was ensured only after New Delhi gave an executive assurance to Portugal that neither of the two would be sentenced to death if found guilty of charges.

Earlier, a constitutional court in Portugal had turned down an appeal of Salem, who served 39 months in a Lisbon prison for entering the country on forged documents, challenging his extradition.

Supreme Court of Portugal had ratified in January this year the order of a Portuguese court in December last year allowing extradition of Abu Salem and Monica Bedi.