Duo who snatched teacher’s bag in Panchkula to spend 10 years in jail
The court of district and sessions judge Ved Parkash Sirohi also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 each on the convicts, Jagtar Singh Saini, 38, of Vikas Nagar, Chandigarh, and Rahul, 22, of Hallomajra, Chandigarh
Observing that the convicts deserved no leniency, a local court has awarded 10-year jail to two Chandigarh residents for snatching a teacher’s bag after attacking him with a knife in March 2021.
The court of district and sessions judge Ved Parkash Sirohi also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 each on the convicts, Jagtar Singh Saini, 38, of Vikas Nagar, Chandigarh, and Rahul, 22, of Hallomajra, Chandigarh. While Saini is a security guard, Rahul works as a tempo truck driver.
“The convicts in furtherance of common intention caused injuries to the complainant and snatched his bag containing ₹3,000, mobile phone and important documents. Convict Rahul destroyed complainant’s documents to cause disappearance of evidence and to screen himself from legal punishment. As such convicts deserve no leniency,” the court said in its order on Tuesday.
The court also awarded six-month jail to Rahul for destruction of evidence. Both sentences will run concurrently.
Victim had jumped off auto-rickshaw to save himself
The victim, Mahesh Chand Meena, had told police that he hailed from Alwar in Rajasthan and worked as teacher in Delhi. His wife was working as a teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Chandimandir, and lived in the staff quarters in Chandimandir Cantt.
He said on March 13, 2021, he arrived in Panchkula on a bus to meet his wife.
Around 12.45 am, he alighted from the bus on the Zirakpur highway and started walking towards Panchkula. As he reached the Zirakpur light point, a three-wheeler came from Baltana side, already ferrying a passenger. He sat in the auto-rickshaw and as they reached near the light point in Sector 20, Panchkula, the driver asked him to pay ₹50 as fare, which he did. Soon after the other person attacked him with a knife, injuring his finger.
He alleged that the driver and the passenger then snatched his bag and to save himself, he jumped off the auto-rickshaw, which drove off towards Panchkula.
Following his complaint, a case under Sections 379-B of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Sector 14 police station.
Before the court announced the sentence, Saini, a security guard, sought leniency, stating that he was suffering from Hepatitis C and HIV. He told the court that he was the sole breadwinner of his family, comprising his disabled wife and two daughters.
However, the public prosecutor, Akash Tanwar, argued that in view of the nature of crime and gravity of offence, the convicts did not deserve any leniency.
After hearing both sides, the court handed a 10-year jail term to both accused, along with ₹25,000 fine.