Two get 10-year-jail for 2018 snatching

Ludhiana: A local court has sentenced two snatchers to ten years of rigorous imprisonment each for robbing the owner of a finance company after causing him injuries with a sharp-edged weapon (dah) at his shop on Dugri Road. The court of Additional Sessions Judge/Fast Track Court Sandeep Singh Bajwa also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on the two convicts. In default of payment, they will have to undergo an additional year of rigorous imprisonment each.On November 20, 2018, the Model Town police station booked the accused persons, Manjit Singh of Lasoi Sadar, Ahmadgarh in Sangrur, and Gurpreet Singh of village Gill, under sections 379-B (2) for snatching and 411 of the IPC for dishonestly receiving stolen property. The case followed an incident involving the complainant, Parminderjit Singh Sekhon.As per the prosecution, the complainant recorded a statement with the police stating that he runs ‘Sekhon & Sekhon Finance and Investment' near a marriage palace on Dugri Road, which handles money transfers. At about 5.45pm that day, three young men entered his shop. One held a dah and threatened to kill him if he raised an alarm. While the armed assailant, identified as Raman, held the complainant, the other two—Manjit and Gurpreet (referred to as Gopi)—ransacked the counter drawer. They took approximately Rs 5,000–6,000 and a purse containing an Aadhaar card and other documents. During a scuffle, Raman struck the complainant with the weapon on his back and left arm. The trio fled on foot, but the complainant chased them and, with the help of passersby, apprehended Manjit Singh, who was handed over to the police.Gurpreet was apprehended on November 25, 2018, while the third accused, Ramandeep Singh, joined the investigation on December 10, 2018, leading to the recovery of the weapon used. Police later presented a chargesheet against the accused after completing the investigation. However, the proceedings against Ramandeep Singh were abated by a court order dated August 24, 2021.During the trial, the accused pleaded false implication. However, while appreciating the evidence, the court observed that the strong testimony from the complainant and investigating officers made it clear that the currency was snatched under threat.Identification Solidifies Case"The complainant's identification of Manjit Singh at the scene and Gurpreet Singh in the police lock-up and later in court further supports the prosecution's case. The accused have not produced evidence to challenge this version and have only denied the allegations," the court observed. "Such a bare denial is not enough to create doubt about the prosecution's evidence."