Thane: Seven persons, who were tried in a special MCOCA court in Thane district in a more than 10-year-old case of armed dacoity, have been acquitted with the trial judge saying the prosecution has failed to prove charges against the accused.

In his order delivered on Thursday, special judge VY Jadhav, who presided over the MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court, held the prosecution has failed to prove its charges against the accused persons who need to be set free.

Defence counsel Poonit Mahimkar told the court the accused facing the trial were not involved in the alleged incident of armed dacoity.

He also raised questions over reliability of an identification parade of accused conducted in jail and application of the stringent MCOCA Act in the case.

Those acquitted hailed from Silvassa, headquarters of Dadra and Nagar Haveli district, Dahanu, Talsari and Boisar areas of Palghar district. They included two laborers, a farmer, a grocery shop owner, an auto-rickshaw driver and a carpenter.

According to the prosecution, at around 2 am on July 6, 2011, the accused, armed with a knife and other weapons, looted Rs 20,100 from a petrol pump on a highway near Nagzari village in Palghar district and beat up its employees.

Besides the IPC and the Arms Act, the MCOCA Act was also invoked against the accused after they were arrested.