Thane MCOCA court sentences two to life for rape, robbery; Rs 30 lakh fine imposed

A Thane Special MCOCA Court has sentenced two members of an alleged organised crime syndicate to life imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs 30 lakh for raping a woman The duo allegedly barged into the couplersquos home threatened the woman and her husband with death and robbed themThe prosecution said the verdict is the first in the country involving a conviction under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act MCOCA in a case of sexual assault linked to organised crimepopcorn numberRs 15L descAmount each of the accused was fined classDefaultSpecial MCOCA Judge BD Shelke on Wednesday sentenced Nishant alias Monu Rider Manojkumar Mishra and his associate Neeraj Omprakash Rai to life imprisonment and fined them Rs 15 lakh eachThe MCOCA investigation was handled by ACP Pankaj Shirsat PICBY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTCase backgroundThe case dates back to January 18 2022 when the duo entered the house of a construction worker in Pragati Nagar Nalasopara at night According to the prosecution the accused forced the worker to open the door and threatened him and his wife with a knife Mishra assaulted and raped the woman before threatening the couple with death The duo then took Rs 1000 kept inside a rice container in the house before fleeing The woman subsequently informed the house owner following which a case was registered at Tulinj police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code IPCPast led to MCOCA actionThe initial investigation was conducted by then assistant police inspector Irfan Nadaf Police found that accused had a history of serious offences Subsequently MCOCA was invoked against the duo treating their activities as part of organised criminal activity The investigation was then handed over to then assistant commissioner of police Pankaj Shirsat who conducted the probe and filed a charge sheet before the Special MCOCA CourtCriminal historyTulinj police said Mishra then 33 is a notorious criminal who had been active in Nalasopara for around a decade Police said 16 cases had been registered against him at Tulinj police station alone including cases involving murder attempt to murder robbery housebreaking assault and rape ACP Shirsat said the accused had a history of more than 12 serious offences including house robberies following which the MCOCA provisions were invoked against them Mishrarsquos name had also figured in a 2018 murder case involving 22yearold Pravin alias Sonu Sakhariya Police had arrested Mishra along with two others in connection with the caseArrest and probeMishra who lived in Central Park Nalasopara East and was originally from Uttar Pradesh was arrested from the Mira Road railway station area on January 21 2022 after police laid a trap He was produced before a Vasai court which remanded him to police custody Police took him to locations in Nalasopara where he was involved in offences as part of the investigation While the exercise was reported as a public parade police officials denied this saying he had been taken to the locations for crimescene inspection13 prosecution witnessesThe prosecution examined 13 witnesses during the MCOCA trial The testimony of DGP Sadanand Date who was Thane Police Commissioner at the time was also recorded Special Public Prosecutor Sanjay More represented the prosecution More said the judgment is the first in the country involving a conviction under MCOCA in a case of sexual assault linked to organised crime