Almost 24 years after Mumbai was shocked by multiple blasts that left some 257 innocent citizens dead, a special TADA Court today awarded death sentence to two accused Tahir Merchant and Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan while extradited gangster Abu Salem was handed over life imprisonment. Apart from Salem, the court also sentenced Karimullah Khan to life imprisonment in the case while awarding 10 years’ sentence to the fifth convict, Riyaz Siddiqui. Out of all the accused, Abu Salem’s character stands out. There is a rise, there is lust, a connection with Bollywood and fall that made a loud noise. In case you don’t know Who is Abu Salem, what is his link with Dawood Ibrahim and role in 1993 Mumbai blast, here is all you need to know:

1. Abu Salem was born to a lawyer father in Saria Meer village of Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh. Salem’s father reportedly died in a road accident.

2. There is no confirmation about Abu Salem’s date of birth. The CBI says that he was born in 1970, Mumbai police say that it was in 1962 while some other media reports say that he was born in 1968.

3. He started a small mechanic shop in Azamgarh but moved to Delhi after completing his inter college. It is reported that Salem worked as a taxi driver in Delhi.

4. It was in 1985 when Salem moved to Mumbai. He started off as a petty criminal on the streets of Mumbai. Salem was also working as a real estate broker in Mumbai when he assaulted a colleague over some monetary issue, resulting in the first case against him that was registered at Andheri police station.

5. Around the same time, Salem came in touch with Dawood Ibrahim’s younger brother, Anees. He was given the task of taking D-gang’s arms and ammunition from one part of the city to other.

6. In the meantime, Salem got married to Samira Jumani. The couple reportedly named their sons after Bollywood movies. Salem later divorced Samira.

7. In a very short span of time, Salem became one of the most influential members of the D-gang. He started extorting money from builders in the city, and soon Bollywood bigwigs too. There were reports that Salem was extorting money from many Bollywood producers and directors. Many filmmakers like Subhash Ghai and Karan Johar also said to have received ‘threats’ from the gangster.

8. In 1992, Abu Salem supplied weapons to actor Sanjay Dutt. He played an active role in March 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts that also damaged property worth Rs 270 million. Salem rose to fame after the killing of film producer Gulshan Kumar in 1996.

9. Salem was in a relationship with Bollywood actress Monica Bedi with whom he fled the country after the Mumbai blasts. On September 18, 2002, Abu Salem was detained in Lisbon, Portugal.

10. In 2005, he was extradited to India and on December 9, 2005, charges were framed against Salem. On June 13, 2006 Abu Salem’s trial was separated.