Bank heist accused acquitted after 16 years

Thane, Apr 2 (PTI) Sixteen years after robbers struck at a bank at Dombivli in the district, a court has acquitted four accused holding that the prosecution could not establish their involvement in the crime beyond reasonable doubt.
A copy of the order dated March 24 was made available on Tuesday.

On November 13, 2009, three men entered the Union Bank of India branch on Manpada Road and robbed Rs 5,88,700 after brandishing weapons and threatening the staff. They also forced a woman employee to hand over her gold ring and mobile phone.
A case was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA).
Police soon arrested Sunil Bajirao Atangale (53), Sham Balasaheb Thombre (47), Kiran Bhalchandra Borase and Manik Shamrao Wagh (47), all residents of Kalyan-Dombivli area.
Defence lawyers Sagar Kolhe, Nitin Bhune and Amol Joshi argued that there was no concrete evidence linking their clients to the crime.
Special MCOCA judge A N Sirsikar in his ruling noted inconsistencies in witness testimonies and acquitted all four accused, giving them the benefit of the doubt.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)