Thane courts acquits 10 members of gang booked under MCOCA for chain-snatching

Thane: A court in Thane district has acquitted 10 members of the Irani gang facing charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for chain-snatching, giving them the benefit of doubt.

Special MCOCA court judge Amit M Shete, in the order passed on March 16, highlighted significant gaps in the prosecution's case.

A copy of the order was made available on Wednesday.

The case was pertaining to an incident on February 4, 2015, when a woman was robbed of her 'mangalsutra' (necklace worn by married women) and a gold chain by some motorbike-borne persons while she was on way to a temple in Dombivali township of Thane district.

The woman could not identify the registration number of the motorbike and the case was registered against unidentified persons.

The prosecution as well as witnesses failed to prove the preliminary offence of robbery, the court noted.

In his order, the judge noted that the investigation officer, based on three chargesheets, booked all the 10 accused even as only two of them were named in them.

The investigation officer failed to produce on record any previous chargesheets against the other eight accused, the court said.

The judge also said the investigation officer has "wrongly filed the proposal for invoking the offence under the MCOCA" against the other eight accused.

"Thus, in the absence of any positive material, the charge punishable under the MCOCA fails," the court said while acquitting the 10 accused, who are in the age group of 33 to 77 years.