Abu Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in November 2005, is facing various other cases, including those related to the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
A Delhi court on Saturday convicted gangster Abu Salem for demanding Rs 5 crore as protection money from a Delhi-based businessman in 2002.
Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sehrawat held Salem guilty of threatening to commit extortion and criminal intimidation and posted the matter for May 30 for hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence.
In the extortion case lodged in Delhi, it was alleged that Salem had demanded Rs 5 crore as protection money from businessman Ashok Gupta, a resident of Greater Kailash in south Delhi, in 2002. The court convicted Salem under Sections 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The court acquitted the other accused — Chanchal Mehta, Majid Khan, Pawan Kumar Mittal and Mohammad Ashraf — citing lack of evidence against them. One of the accused, Sajjan Kumar Soni, died during the trial.
The police had alleged that the accused were acting on behalf of the organised crime syndicate of Abu Salem Ansari and were planning to cause harm to the life of Ashok Gupta and his family. The court had said that there was lack of evidence.
Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in November 2005, is facing various other cases, including those related to the 1993 Mumbai blasts.