Mumbai, Sep 29 (IANS) A special court here Friday found five aides of mob boss Dawood Ibrahim guilty of participating in the conspiracy to trigger the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai that claimed 257 lives.

According to the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the absconding Ibrahim and prime accused Tiger Memon had masterminded the blasts at the instance of the ISI and sent these five accused - Gul Mohammed Noor Mohammed Sheikh, Mohammed Usman Sheikh, Sayyed Mohammed Isaak, Ibrahim Sheikh Hussain and Usman Khan Sheikh - to Pakistan via Dubai for weapon training.

The arms and explosives were used in blasts on March 12 1993 that also injured 713 people.

The special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court said the five accused went to Pakistan via Dubai in February-March 1993 to attend training in handling arms and explosives. They were currently on bail and taken into custody immediately after the verdict was pronounced. Their bail bonds were cancelled.

They now face punishment ranging from five years to life imprisonment.

"They had attended conspiracy meetings in Dubai and Pakistan organised by prime conspirators Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon," special judge Pramod Kode said.

The court began delivering verdict in batches this month, convicting so far 25 of the 123 people accused in the blasts case.

It has so far acquitted five accused including two members of Memon's family.