In what could be seen as a closure to the families of 18 persons who died and over 140, who suffered debilitating injuries in the dastardly Dilsukhnagar Twin Bomb Blast, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court has sentenced five banned Indian Mujahideen terrorists to death by hanging.

Where Was The Verdict Pronounced: Amid a charged atmosphere inside and heavy security outside, Rangareddy district judge Justice Srinivasa Rao pronounced the judgement on Monday evening. They were pronounced guilty on December 13 and the quantum of punishment was handed over on Monday (December 19).

Who Are The Guilty Men: Those handed out death sentence are: Asadullah Akthar alias Haddi, Zia Ur Rahman alias Waqas, Mohammed Tahseen Akthar alias Hassan, Ahmed Siddibappa Zarrar alias Yasin Bhatkal and Ajaz Shaikh. The prime accused Mohammed Riyaz alias Riyaz Bhatkal has been hiding in Pakistan. Of the five guilty, Zia Ur Rahman alias Waqas is a Pakistani national.

The Legal Procedure: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court operating from the Charlapally central prison convicted the quintet under sections 301, 307, 324, 326, 316, 121, 121 B, 122 and 201 read with 120B of the Indian Penal Code. It examined 157 witnesses, studied 502 documents and 218 other materials before pronouncing them guilty.

Yasin Bhatkal and Obaidullah Akhter, who were arrested in August 2013

The Twin Bomb Blasts: The IM terrorists detonated two improvised explosive devices (IEDS) on February 21, 2013 in the bustling Dilsukhnagar area. The first IED exploded at 7 pm near a bus stop. Even as the people were running helter skelter in panic, the second bomb went off near A1 Mirchi Centre. The terrorists planted tiffin box on a parked bicycle at various places.

How The Probe Went: Based on CCTV footage and various other leads, the intelligence agencies caught Ahmed Siddibappa Zarrar and Asadullah Akthar at the India-Nepal border in August 2013. Based on the information given by them, the others were arrested.

How The IM Terrorists Took The Verdict: The five Indian Mujahideen terrorists heard the judge's pronouncement of death sentence non-challantly and did not show any expression.

What Will Happen Next: Normally, the lower court verdict of death sentence will have to be ratified by the High Court after which the guilty men would be given an opportunity to appeal to the higher courts. Only after exhausting all options, including the presidential pardon, the verdict would be implemented.