THANE: After more than six years of legal proceedings, a special MCOCA court in Thane acquitted three men accused of being part of an organised crime syndicate allegedly involved in a high-profile copper robbery case from 2018.
The accused — Wasim alias Rehan Ahmad Shaikh, Mohsin alias Rafik Ashraf Baloch, and Sarfraj Abdul Sattar Khan — were charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), including dacoity, abduction, conspiracy, and destruction of evidence.
The case, registered at Waliv Police Station, Palghar district, stemmed from an incident on the night of August 21, 2018, when six unidentified persons allegedly intercepted a trailer transporting 13 copper coils from Taloja (Navi Mumbai) to Rajasthan. The driver, Sahun Khan, and his assistant were allegedly abducted, assaulted, and later released. The trailer, loaded with goods worth over ₹1.54 crore, was reported missing.
Despite invoking MCOCA due to the accused’s alleged criminal backgrounds and prior records, the case gradually weakened during the trial. The court found serious lapses in investigation and procedural irregularities, including non-compliance with MCOCA rules in recording confessions and repeated failures by the police to secure the presence of key witnesses.
In his detailed judgment, Special Judge Amit M. Shete observed that the prosecution, despite support from the special public prosecutor, could not present convincing evidence to link the accused directly with the alleged offence. He highlighted omissions in confessional statements, lack of credible identification by the informant, and procedural misuse of Section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act.
The prosecution’s failure to produce material witnesses — despite repeated court directives and reminders to the commissioner of police — ultimately led the court to close the evidence stage. With the benefit of doubt extended, the court acquitted all three accused and ordered their immediate release, if not wanted in any other case.
The court also directed that the seized goods — including two trailers, a Hyundai car, a Swift vehicle, mobile phones, laptops, and the copperconsignment — be returned to their rightful owners, or disposed of as per law.
The accused — Wasim alias Rehan Ahmad Shaikh, Mohsin alias Rafik Ashraf Baloch, and Sarfraj Abdul Sattar Khan — were charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), including dacoity, abduction, conspiracy, and destruction of evidence.
The case, registered at Waliv Police Station, Palghar district, stemmed from an incident on the night of August 21, 2018, when six unidentified persons allegedly intercepted a trailer transporting 13 copper coils from Taloja (Navi Mumbai) to Rajasthan. The driver, Sahun Khan, and his assistant were allegedly abducted, assaulted, and later released. The trailer, loaded with goods worth over ₹1.54 crore, was reported missing.
Despite invoking MCOCA due to the accused’s alleged criminal backgrounds and prior records, the case gradually weakened during the trial. The court found serious lapses in investigation and procedural irregularities, including non-compliance with MCOCA rules in recording confessions and repeated failures by the police to secure the presence of key witnesses.
In his detailed judgment, Special Judge Amit M. Shete observed that the prosecution, despite support from the special public prosecutor, could not present convincing evidence to link the accused directly with the alleged offence. He highlighted omissions in confessional statements, lack of credible identification by the informant, and procedural misuse of Section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act.
The prosecution’s failure to produce material witnesses — despite repeated court directives and reminders to the commissioner of police — ultimately led the court to close the evidence stage. With the benefit of doubt extended, the court acquitted all three accused and ordered their immediate release, if not wanted in any other case.
The court also directed that the seized goods — including two trailers, a Hyundai car, a Swift vehicle, mobile phones, laptops, and the copperconsignment — be returned to their rightful owners, or disposed of as per law.
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