May 3 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Three Panchkula youths, including two teenagers, will be spending 10 years in jail for assaulting a man and snatching his belongings near Gurdwara Nada Sahib in August 2020.
Convicting the trio, Akash, alias Tutva, 19; Dev Narain, alias Natka, 26; and Ravi Kumar, alias Pochi, 19, all residents of Kharak Mangoli, Panchkula; the court of district and sessions judge Ved Parkash Sirohi also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 each on them.
“The convicts in pursuance of criminal conspiracy have been proved to have caused injuries to complainant Kala Ram, and snatched his cellphone, gold ring and ₹300. As such, the convicts do not deserve any leniency in the matter of sentence,” said the court while awarding them a 10-year jail sentence.
“The complainant has not only identified the accused in court but has specifically mentioned about their role in the occurrence,” the court added.
The court dismissed the argument of the defence counsel that no independent witness was brought in by the investigating officer at the time of recovery, saying, “The testimony of the investigating officer cannot be disbelieved merely because he is a police officer, unless and until there is any allegation against him with regard to any previous enmity. The investigating officer had no reason to falsely implicate the accused in this case.”
Had beaten up the victim with sticks
In his complaint, Kala Ram, a native of Barwala, Hisar, had told police that on August 2, 2020, he and his friends had visited Morni Hills for a tour.
While returning, as he reached the Ghaggar bridge near Gurdwara Nada Sahib, three youths charged at him armed with wooden sticks and started assaulting him.
They snatched a mobile phone, gold ring and ₹300 from his pocket, before fleeing.
An auto-rickshaw driver took him to the civil hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula, due to his injuries.
On his complaint, police had registered a case under Section 379-B (snatching after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 5 police station on August 3, 2020. Following investigation, Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) was also added.
