MCOCA slapped on Bawana gang

NEW DELHI: In a step expected to substantially reduce crime in the capital, the special cell has registered an FIR invoking stringent sections of MCOCA against most wanted gangsters Neeraj Bawana and Amit Malik.
Others to be prosecuted under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act include Sunil Rathi, Neeraj Bali, Rahul Kala, Pankaj and Naveen Bhanja.They are allegedly involved in over 200 cases of murder, extortion, abduction and robberies, police said.
Special commissioner of police (special cell) S N Shrivastava confirmed the registration of FIR and said the step was taken to curb the activities of this gang. An ACP rank officer, Manishi Chandra, has been appointed investigating officer of this FIR.
The MCOCA is a law enacted by the Maharashtra government in 1999 to combat terrorism and organized crime. Unlike under ordinary law, confessions extracted from an accused booked under MCOCA are admissible in court not only against them but also against others accused in the same case. Anticipatory bail is not available to anyone accused of having committed an offence under MCOCA which gives police the power to intercept oral or written communications.

Bawana and Malik, also known as Bhura, are considered extremely dangerous. Bhura has a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his capture. Bawana is said to have been behind Bhura's dramatic escape from police custody when he made off with four AK-47 rifles belonging to policemen accompanying him to court.
These criminals have been arrested several times but have come out of jail quickly every time to resume their activities, a senior police officer said. At each instance, witnesses turned hostile and police were left with scant evidence. However, with the accused being booked under MCOCA, things are expected to change. Each member of the gang-whether arrested or yet to be arrested-will be slapped with MCOCA.
MCOCA has been a bone of contention between the lawmakers and the law enforcers, with critics terming it as draconian. Delhi Police has a poor record of conviction under MCOCA with just one person having been convicted.
However, the accused fulfill all criteria for MCOCA including the clause that specifies that they must have been chargesheeted more than once in the last ten years. Some of them have had over half-a-dozen chargesheets filed against them over the past few years.