Two of the three women convicts of the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings case were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment (RI) by the special TADA court here on Thursday.

The women were Mobina Bhiwandiwala, who is the foster-sister of the prime accused Tiger Memon, and Zebunissa Qazi. Only one more woman convict, Rubina Memon of the Memon family, remains to be punished.

The designated judge Pramod Kode also awarded convict Salim Sheikh with two life sentences. Salim had driven a Maruti van with a group of assailants who threw hand grenades at a Hindu fishermen’s colony in Mahim on March 12, 1993, killing three fishermen.

Salim was neck-deep in the conspiracy. In his confession, Salim had claimed that he himself did not fill the explosives into the vehicles as he did not want his hands dirtied with black putty of RDX. It did not cut much ice with the judge, who awarded two life sentences to Salim under the TADA and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Mobina was convicted for allowing her residence to be used for conspiracy meetings during which plans to launch the terror attack was finalised. Zebunissa also got five years in jail and was fined for Rs 1 lakh for keeping AK-56 assault rifles, ammunition and hand grenades in her apartment at the behest of Anees Ibrahim.

One of the rifles from that cache was given to Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt by another accused. The weapons were given to her by a Manzoor Ahmed and ganglord Abu Salem.

It was at Anees Ibrahim’s instructions that the two had delivered three AK-56 rifles to Dutt. Abu Salem is yet to face trial. The judge, taking a lenient view of Zebunissa's role, said the weapons were merely kept at her residence, although they were possessed by those who brought them there.

The court noted Zebunissa had also not indulged in distribution of the weapons. With Thursday’s sentences, 75 out of 100 convicts have got punishments so far.