A court in Ludhiana has delivered a stern verdict in a 2022 robbery case, sentencing two men to a decade of rigorous imprisonment each for snatching a wallet at knifepoint near a village canal bridge.
The Crime and Arrest
The incident dates back to June 15, 2022. The victim, Surjit Singh, was riding his scooter near the Canal Bridge in Akhara village when two individuals on a motorcycle drove alongside him. They pushed him, causing him to fall. The pillion rider then threatened him with a sharp-edged weapon, locally known as a 'Dattar', and snatched his wallet.
The stolen wallet contained Rs 4,000 in cash, a Pension Card, an Aadhar Card, and an ATM card. The assailants fled the scene, but the complainant managed to note down their motorcycle's registration number.
Based on this crucial detail, the Sadar Jagraon police registered a case. The accused were identified as Gurpreet Singh (29) and Partap Singh (30), both residents of Chuharchak village in Moga district. They were booked under sections 379-B (snatching) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Gurpreet Singh was arrested after being named in a supplementary statement on July 3, followed by the arrest of Partap Singh.
Court's Verdict and Fine
Recently, Session Judge Harpreet Kaur Randhawa pronounced the judgment, convicting both men. The court sentenced each to ten years of rigorous imprisonment. In addition to the jail term, the judge imposed a fine of Rs 11,000 on each convict.
The court order stated that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional four months of rigorous imprisonment for each offender.
Court Rejects Plea of False Implication
During the trial, the accused had pleaded that they were falsely implicated in the case. However, the court firmly dismissed this contention.
The judgment emphasized that the quality of evidence holds more weight than its quantity. It also ruled that the testimony of official witnesses cannot be discarded merely because of their professional status. The defence failed to provide any evidence of prior motive or enmity that could suggest a frame-up. The court noted that no complaint or application regarding false implication had been filed with higher authorities by the accused.
This verdict underscores the judiciary's firm stance against street crimes that threaten public safety and highlights the importance of credible witness testimony in securing convictions.
