A Thane court has acquitted all seven accused in a 2019 dacoity case at a cable company godown. The special MCOCA court judge V.G. Mohite ruled on November 26, 2025, that prosecution failed to prove the accused's identity, involvement, and other key legal points under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The incident happened on July 18, 2019, when eight men broke into a cable godown in Mankoli, Bhiwandi, Thane district. They tied up workers and escaped with cable wires worth ₹6.77 lakh, cash, and a driving licence. The men made a hole in the wall and broke locks to enter. Seven people were arrested later. However, the court found errors in eyewitness statements and legal procedures. The identification parade at Adharwadi Jail in Kalyan was declared unreliable. The court said, "The prosecution has not recorded the evidence of Executive Magistrate... in these circumstances, it is unsafe to rely upon evidence of prosecution witness and test identification parade panchanama." Also, "The prosecution witnesses had seen the accused in the police station after their arrest... in these circumstances, it is unsafe to rely upon their testimony," the court noted. Multiple recoveries like cable bundles, sticks, knives, and a tempo were dismissed because they were found in open areas or contradicted by witnesses. The prosecution tried to use call detail records to link the accused but the court said this alone does not prove guilt. The court also found that the prosecution failed to prove "continuing unlawful activity" and "organised crime" as required by MCOCA. "The mandatory requirement of the offence of organised crime as defined in Section 2(1)(e) of the MCOC Act has not been proved... mere collection of copies of previous charge sheets... are not sufficient to prove the offence," the judge stated. The accused acquitted are Baitulla Ruabali Chaudhary (51), Kabir Usman Shaikh (48), Swapnil alias Gotya Rajendra Panchal (38), Bablu Jangbahadur Vishwakarma (44), Puran alias Kancha Sherbahadur Sonar (28), Deepak Jagat Vishwakarma (30), and Jamil Majid Khan (54).