Suspected underworld don Dawood Ibrahim gang member Mustafa Dossa, who allegedly attacked gangster Abu Salem inside the Arthur Road jail, on Wednesday alleged that the injuries on Salem were 'self-inflicted', a crime branch source said.
"During the preliminary questioning, Dossa alleged that Salem, with the help of his associates, injured himself to falsely implicate him," said a source from the crime branch.
"Salem had tried to extort Rs 30 crore from me for a property related deal he had struck," Dossa allegedly told the investigating officials.
Following a special TADA court's permission on Tuesday, the crime branch on Wednesday took the custody of Dossa and his associate Abdul Qayyum Sheikh, who will be produced before an Esplanade court in connection with the Salem attack case.
Salem, 42, a key accused in the 1993 serial blasts and facing trial in this case, was allegedly attacked by Dossa and Sheikh with a sharp spoon on Saturday outside their barrack following a heated argument.
The next day, Salem was shifted to Taloja jail, while Dossa was transferred to the Thane Central Prison for security reasons.
Salem has been lodged in the high-security Arthur Road jail in central Mumbai since his extradition from Portugal in 2005 and is facing trial in nine cases, including two murders.
