A Thane court has acquitted all seven accused in a 2019 case of dacoity at a cable company's godown, noting that the prosecution failed to establish their identity, involvement, and the essential elements of offences under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Special MCOCA court judge V.G. Mohite, in the order on November 26, 2025, ruled that the entire chain of evidence — from identification to recoveries — suffered from major legal and procedural lapses. The court acquitted the accused of charges under the Indian Penal Code and the MCOCA.
According to the prosecution, eight unidentified men allegedly broke into the cable godown at Mankoli in Bhiwandi area of Maharashtra's Thane district on July 18, 2019, tied up the workers, and escaped with 64 bundles of polycab cable wire valued at ₹6.77 lakh along with cash and a driving licence. The intruders allegedly made a hole in the compound wall and broke the locks to gain entry.
The police later arrested seven persons in connection with the case. The court, however, found the testimonies of key eyewitnesses to be unreliable owing to contradictions and procedural violations. The identification parade conducted at the Adharwadi Jail in Kalyan was also discarded.
