Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 402
repealedAssembling for purpose of committing dacoity
Whoever, at any time after the passing of this Act, shall be one of five or more persons assembled for the purpose of committing dacoity, shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Why this exists
This section punishes the act of simply gathering together in sufficient numbers for the specific purpose of committing dacoity, even earlier in the timeline than the preparation stage covered elsewhere, allowing law enforcement to act as soon as a group with clear dacoity intent has assembled. This reflects the law's broader strategy of intervening at multiple stages of organised group crime, from mere assembly, to preparation, to the completed offence, so that dangerous gangs can be stopped before real harm occurs. A comparable provision continues under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which replaced the Indian Penal Code in 2024.