Bengaluru: Chain-snatcher gets 7-year jail term

BENGALURU: A city civil and sessions court has convicted a 26-year-old man of chain-snatching and sentenced him to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment.
Any lenient treatment to the accused will lead to loss of confidence of the public in the judicial system, the court said, while pronouncing judgment in the case on July 7.
The convict is Vinod Kumar, a resident of Gubbalala on Kanakapura Road. The case against his co-accused Babajan was split due his absence in court in the same case.
According to the prosecution, Kumar and his associate approached RBI Layout near Konanakunte around 2.15pm on January 28, 2017. The duo came on a bike and pillion rider Kumar got down and threatened the victim Deepika at knifepoint, snatching her gold chain weighing 45 grams. Kumar pushed her on to the road, got on to the bike and the duo sped away.
Konanakunte police took up a case of robbery and managed to arrest the suspects within two months of the offence. The woman identified the suspects who had snatched her chain. Counsel for the accused argued the woman could not have identified the chain-snatchers as they were wearing helmets while committing the crime. The woman deposed that she had identified the accused persons based on their height and physique.
The prosecution argued that the woman’s chain was recovered from the accused duo. The court considered this as one of the main pieces of evidence. The court found Kumar guilty and convicted him. The defence counsel prayed for leniency while awarding him punishment.
Rajeshwara, 64th additional city civil and sessions court judge, stated in the judgment that an offence like chain-snatching is likely to harm the law and order situation and shock the general conscience of society.
Apart from being awarded the seven-year RI, Kumar was fined Rs 5,000. Any failure to pay the fine will result in him having to undergo simple imprisonment for six months.