In a significant ruling, a Thane district court has acquitted six individuals previously booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in connection with a 2017 robbery. The court cited insufficient evidence as the basis for their acquittal.
The six accused, Mukesh Mohan Chaudhari @ Raju Rathod (43), Surendra Aslaramji Chaudhari (30), Champalal Chogaram Verma (35), Ratanlal Nagaram Dangi (38), Suresh Hariram Chaudhari (35), and Tejas Champalal Unecha (43), all residents of Pune district, were charged with the theft of cigarettes valued at Rs 91 lakh from a godown in Navi Mumbai.
The case, registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including house-breaking, theft, criminal conspiracy, and dishonestly receiving stolen property, as well as provisions of the MCOCA, centered on a robbery that occurred on the night of July 29, 2017, at a cigarette distribution center in the APMC Market area.
Special MCOCA Judge Amit M Shete, in his ruling, highlighted several critical lapses in the investigation and trial process, primarily noting the reliance on circumstantial evidence. The judge stated that the prosecution and its witnesses failed to establish a conclusive chain of circumstances required for a conviction.
Further, Judge Shete addressed the invocation of MCOCA against the accused, noting that their past criminal records were insufficient to warrant application of the act given the lack of conclusive evidence for the current charges under the IPC.
