MCOCA slapped against serial robbers

Borivli police recently applied the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA) against two robbers charged with over a dozen crimes, mostly

Borivli police recently applied the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA) against two robbers charged with over a dozen crimes, mostly violent ones. They are presently in the custody of Borivli police.

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Mohankumar Dahikar, deputy commissioner of police, zone 11, confirmed the development. The robbers are Suresh Singh, 31, a resident of Rabodi, Navi Mumbai and Pravin Helkar, 32, a resident of Naupada in Kalyan. Both have about 30 cases registered against them between 2008 and 2020, out of which ten they committed together.

“They have crime cases registered against them at several police stations like Charkop, Malad, Wadala T.T, Pant Nagar, Matunga, Tikak Nagar, Vikhroli, Mulund and a firing case at RCF police station in 2008. Most crimes committed by them were violent robberies,” said Sunil Wadke, assistant police commissioner and investigating officer.

The duo committed violent robberies on November 30 last year and January 28 this year in Govind Nagar area in Borivli (West). In both cases they punched their victims, a 40-year-old man and a 70-year-old man, robbed them of valuables and fled from the spot. Based on technical evidence detection team officers, Yogesh Patil and Nilesh More arrested them last month. After the end of their police custody, they were sent to Thane jail.

Arvind Ghag, inspector, crime, at Borivli police station then examined their criminal records and proposed implementing MCOCA against them. Dilip Sawant, additional commissioner of police, north region, examined the dossier and permitted to apply the stringent act against them which will make it difficult for them to get bail and continue with their crime streak.

“We booked them under MCOCA on March 12 and took their custody from Thane jail. They were produced before a special MCOCA court and we received their police custody. Helkar had come out of jail after completing his punishment in November last year and had again started his crime streak,” added Wadke.