Khanna man gets 5-yr jail in snatching case

Ludhiana: A local court has sentenced a Khanna resident to five years of rigorous imprisonment in a snatching case.
A fine of Rs 12,000 has also been imposed on the 24-year-old convict, Suraj Paswan. In case of default in fine payment, Suraj will have to undergo another seven months of rigorous imprisonment.

On June 23, 2017, Sirhind Government Railway Police had booked Suraj, a resident of slums near Khanna railway station, under sections 379-B (snatching) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the IPC after he made off with the cellphone of a train passenger near Khanna.

Anil Kumar, a Giaspura-based grocer, had told the police that that day, he boarded UP Deluxe Express for his Ambala to Ludhiana journey. When the train started from Khanna station around 4.35pm, a youth, who was in his early 20s, took advantage of the heavy rush and snatched his cellphone. Even as Anil got down from the train to chase the snatcher, the latter made good his escape. Anil lodged a complaint and Suraj was arrested after he admitted to have committed the crime on April 20, 2018.

During the case trial, Suraj pleaded innocence.

Defence counsel Narinder Kumar Aadia contended that Suraj had been implicated in the case.

Turning down the defence counsel’s contention, the court observed, “The accused claims he is innocent. However, the defence pleas taken by the accused cannot be accepted. Mere taking of plea is not enough... accused was bound to prove the same with positive evidence. But there has been no oral or documentary evidence in this regard.”