India, May 15 -- A special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court on Wednesday acquitted gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli and six others in an extortion case for want of cogent evidence.

Special judge BD Shelke acquitted Gawli and six others after a prime witness told the court that he had not been threatened when he visited Dagdi chawl in Byculla, where Gawli lived. He also said that he had given "donations" to a co-accused of his own accord, contradicting his complaint to the police regarding extortion.

Apart from Gawli, those acquitted in the case were Vijay Gulab Ahir, Shrikrishna Gurav, Mohammed Sharif Yusuf Qureshi, Ajit Chandrakant Rane, Sudhir Krishna Ghorpade aka Raju and Motiram Ramchandra Mahadik.

Acco...