MCOCA court convicts two in 2018 Erandwane chain-snatching case

Special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court, presided by Judge SR Salunkhe, convicted Pathan and Kamble under IPC Sections 394 and 397 read with Section 34 for the 2018 Erandwane chain-snatching. The court held the prosecution established beyond reasonable doubt that the victim was robbed at knifepoint and grievously injured when she resisted. Co-accused Nitin alias Nigarya Laxman Tambare was acquitted for lack of direct evidence linking him to the robbery. Charges under the Arms Act, Maharashtra Police Act and MCOCA were not sustained due to insufficient evidence of an organised crime syndicate. The sentencing: seven years of rigorous imprisonment for each, with a fine of ₹1,000 each, and set-off for time already spent in custody; both are to be released after the set-off if they are not wanted in other cases. The court noted Pathan was 26 and Kamble 19 at the time of the offence; Pathan used a dagger but did not attack a vital part of the victim’s body.

Sameer Hajju Pathan and Rahul Gajendra Kamble were arrested in August 2018 and spent nearly eight years in custody before their conviction in 2026.

Near Ratnadeep Society in Erandwane, around 10:30 pm, two men on a motorcycle approached a civil engineering student staying at Savitribai Phule Pune University hostel. The pillion rider snatched the student’s gold chain at knifepoint; when she resisted, he attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon, fracturing her finger before fleeing with the chain.