Mumbai: Marking the first conviction under Section 112 of the newly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a local court in Mumbai sentenced five members of an organised mobile theft gang to one year of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 each, a lawyer said on Monday.
While sentencing the accused, the local Girgam court admitted digital evidence, including seized property and electronic panchnamas, under the new legal provisions.
According to the prosecution case on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi 2024, when large crowds gathered across Mumbai for Ganpati Visarjan. Taking advantage of the crowd, a gang allegedly stole several mobile phones.
On September 20, 2024, a case was registered under Section 303(2) of BNS at the VP Road police station after a complaint by Basir Sadek Shaikh.
Given the organised nature of the crime, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Dr Mohit Kumar Garg formed a special team comprising officers from six police stations – VP Road, DB Marg, LT Marg, Gamdevi, Malabar Hill, and others.
Based on secret information and technical surveillance, the team arrested five accused — Sanjay Raman Kharwa, Sanjay Suresh Kharwa, Sumesh Lohakare, Laltu Dey and Akash Mehra — from Mumbai and outside Maharashtra.
During the investigation, police recovered 42 stolen mobile phones and a motorcycle from the accused. It was also established that the accused had a history of committing similar crimes.
