MCOCA court grants bail to Chhota Rajan gang member

MCOCA court granted bail last week to Santosh Sawant, a member of Chhota Rajan’s gang. Special judge A M Patil emphasised that almost 19 years have passed without any incident indicating the accused’s involvement in another crime, making a case for his release on bail

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court granted bail last week to Santosh Sawant, a member of Chhota Rajan’s gang, in connection with an extortion case. Special judge A M Patil emphasised that almost 19 years have passed without any incident indicating the accused’s involvement in another crime, making a case for his release on bail.

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The judge noted that the absence of evidence linking the accused to recent criminal activities over nearly two decades is a factor in favor of granting bail. However, the court imposed the condition that Sawant should not leave India without the court’s permission.

Advocate Prakash Shetty argued that all other accused persons in the case were already out on bail, claiming that Sawant was falsely implicated. He also criticised the investigating officer for not conducting an identification parade during the investigation.

Special Public Prosecutor PD Gharat argued that Sawant, being a member of an organised crime syndicate led by Chhota Rajan, was involved in converting black money into white through various means, including laundering money collected through extortion using shell companies. Gharat stated that the applicant had been absconding and hiding in a foreign country for the past 10 years until his recent arrest in 2023.

The extortion case dates back to 2004 when an individual received threats demanding ₹10 lakh for construction work, allegedly linked to Chhota Rajan. The court, while granting bail, highlighted the absence of evidence indicating the applicant’s involvement in hatching a criminal conspiracy with others in the case.