A Girgaum court has sentenced five members of an organised mobile theft gang to one year of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs5,000 each under the newly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), marking the first conviction under Section 112 of the new penal code.
The case dates back to 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. Acting on intelligence inputs 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.
After a full trial, the Girgaum court on May 16, 2025, convicted all five under multiple sections of BNS.
The court admitted digital evidence, including seized property and electronic panchnamas, under the new legal provisions. Police stated that the e-evidence system and strengthened witness protection mechanisms under the new code helped ensure conviction.
The investigation was led under the supervision of Additional CP (South Region) Dr. Abhinav Deshmukh, DCP Dr Mohit Garg, ACP Dnyaneshwar Wagh, and Senior PI Jagdish Kulkarni. The team included PI Sambhaji Gurav (VP Road police station), PSI Shyamrao Watsar, constables from various stations, and technical analyst Munna Singh.
