Chandigarh: Duo to spend 7 years in jail for robbing college student at knife-point

A man and a woman, who had robbed a college student of ₹15,500 at knife-point in an auto-rickshaw in 2022, were awarded seven-year jail by a local court on Friday.

The duo, Nitesh Sharma, 22, hailing from Bihar, and Rajwinder Kaur, 35, a native of Gurdaspur, Punjab, was convicted under Section 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) read with Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code on Thursday. The court also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on them.

The case was registered on the complaint of Chahat Mittal, a student of SD College, Sector 32, and residing as a paying guest in Sector 46.

Mittal said on October 22, 2022, she took an auto-rickshaw from Sector 46-C for the Sector-43 ISBT.

Besides the driver, a woman, aged around 35, was already sitting in the auto. In no time, the woman pointed a knife at her, and demanded her money and mobile phone. Under threat, she handed over ₹500 and her mobile phone.

The woman then asked her to transfer money into her account, but when it could not be transferred, she told her to call her family for it, Mittal alleged.

As her father transferred ₹15,000 to the woman’s account, she placed a knife on her neck and asked for her Google Pay password and PIN.

The duo then dropped her near the District Courts Complex in Sector 43 and fled.

On the basis of Mittal’s complaint, a case was registered and the two accused were arrested. On Thursday, the court of additional district and sessions judge held them guilty.

Pleading leniency, both convicts submitted that they had never been involved in any other criminal case or convicted before.

However, public prosecutor Hukam Singh argued that they were involved in a very serious case of robbery. “The manner in which the occurrence had taken place has shattered the public confidence and due to their act general public is apprehensive of travelling in auto-rickshaws,” he contended.

Hearing both sides, the court said showing of undue sympathy towards the convicts will not be in the interest of justice. “The offence committed by the convicts has serious repercussions on society as a whole…such type of offences are increasing day by day. Such type of convicts should be dealt with a heavy hand and the punishment in their favour should be such which may have deterrent effect on the like-minded persons who commit such type of offence just for easy money,” it added, while handing the duo a seven-year jail sentence.