Chandigarh: 10-year jail for youth who snatched labourer’s mobile phone

A local court on Wednesday awarded 10-year jail to a Mohali resident for snatching the mobile phone of a labourer after assaulting him in 2022.

Identified as Sunil Kumar, 23, a resident of Kandala village, Mohali, the snatcher was convicted under Section 379-B (snatching after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court of additional sessions Judge Jaibir Singh also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on him.

As per case files, Kumar was arrested on November 21, 2022, on the complaint of the victim, Arun, a labourer who lived in Phase 11, Mohali.

The complainant said on November 21, he was headed home after work from Sector 11 in Chandigarh. Around 1.20 pm, when he reached near Sports Complex, Sector 50, two motorcycle-borne youths tried to snatch his mobile phone.

When he resisted, one of the youths hit him on the head and another restrained him, before snatching his mobile phone and ₹4,000 in cash. While one of the accused made good his escape, the complainant managed to nab his accomplice and also jotted down their motorcycle’s registration number.

Passers-by had alerted the police and a case under Sections 379-A (snatching) and 379-B of the IPC was registered at the Sector-49 police station. But police could never arrest the absconding accused.

In court, Kumar pleaded that he was innocent and falsely implicated in the case. However, the public prosecutor argued that there was enough evidence, which proved his guilt. Hence, he should be awarded stringent punishment.

Hearing both sides, the court handed out 10-year jail to the convict, while observing: “The accused, along with his co-accused, in furtherance of their common intention used criminal force and caused injury to the complainant while snatching his mobile phone and ₹4,000 and thereby committed offence punishable under Section 379-B, read with Section 34, of IPC and is accordingly convicted thereunder.”