Thane court releases 10 charged under MCOCA for chain-snatching

A Thane court that recently freed 10 members of the Irani gang who were charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for chain-snatching, made the order copy public on March 20.

A Thane court that recently freed 10 members of the Irani gang who were charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for chain-snatching, made the order copy public on March 20.

On March 16, a special MCOCA court in Thane passed a judgement, giving the accused benefit of doubt. Judge Amit M. Shete pointed out significant gaps in the prosecution’s case and said in the order, that the investigation officer failed to produce on record any previous charge sheets against the other eight accused.

“The investigation officer, based on three charge sheets, booked all the 10 accused even as only two of them were named in them. They had wrongly filed the proposal for invoking the offence under the MCOCA against the other eight accused. In the absence of any supportive material in the case, the charges punishable under the MCOCA, fail,” said the court order. The 10 acquitted are in the age group of 33 to 77 years.  

Case background 

On February 4, 2015, a resident of Dombivli in Thane district of Maharashtra, was robbed by chain snatchers who were on a motorbike while she was going to a temple wearing a mangalsutra and a gold chain that was snatched from her neck. Since the woman failed to identify the registration number of the vehicle in the FIR, the case was registered against unidentified persons. In the court hearing, the prosecution and the witnesses also failed to prove the preliminary offence of robbery.