A special court in Thane district on Sunday acquitted nine persons booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for a 2017 attempted dacoity and firing, citing insufficient evidence against them, news agency PTI reported.

Special Judge VG Mohite acquitted the accused of charges under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 395 (dacoity), and 397 (robbery with attempt to cause death) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with provisions of the MCOCA. A copy of the order dated February 17 (Tuesday) was made available on Sunday.