Patiala, Feb 5: Three persons involved in the hijack of the Indian Airlines aircraft to Kandahar in Afghanistan in December 1999 were today convicted and sentenced to life by a city court on charges including murder and conspiracy.

Abdul Latif Adam Momin alias Abdul rehman alias Patel, Yusuf Nepali and Dalip Bhujail were sentenced by sessions judge Inderjit Singh Walia, designated as the anti-hijacking court under provisions of IPC and anti-hijacking law. CBI had demanded capital punishment for Latif.

The ill-fated IC-814 was hijacked on December 24, 1999 while flying over Lucknow when it was on its way to Delhi from Kathmandu and the three were accused of helping the hijackers by arranging their stay, passport, tickets and with arms and ammunition.

During a week of suspense, five hijackers -- Ibrahim Athar (brother of Jash-e-Mohammed Chief Masood Azhar), Sunny Ahmed Qazi, S A Sayed alias Doctor, Z I Mistri alias Bhola and R G Verma alias Shakir -- who commandeered aircraft to Kandahar negotiated with Indian officials with threats to blow up the aircraft and successfully got Azhar and two other dreaded terrorist released from jails in India for release of passengers.

Defence counsel contended that the three have been made a scapegoat.