5 get five-year jail in Kharar grocery store robbery case

The prosecution proved they acted together to snatch cash, a gold chain, and ration items from the shopkeeper after entering the shop and threatening him

Mohali: The sessions court sentenced a five-year rigorous imprisonment to five convicts in a case of robbery and snatching which happened back in September 27, 2021 at a grocery shop in Kharar.

During the interaction, one of the men lifted his T-shirt and showed a pistol tucked in his waistband, while another took out a firearm and pointed it at the shopkeeper. (HT File)

The prosecution proved they acted together to snatch cash, a gold chain, and ration items from the shopkeeper after entering the shop and threatening him.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place around 8:50 pm in September 2021 when complainant Pardeep was sitting at his grocery shop in Sunny Enclave, Kharar. A man wearing a black T-shirt entered the shop and asked for five litres of mustard oil. When the shopkeeper replied that only one-litre bottle was available, two other men walked in.

During the interaction, one of the men lifted his T-shirt and showed a pistol tucked in his waistband, while another took out a firearm and pointed it at the shopkeeper. The accused then snatched a gold chain weighing about two tolas from the complainant and demanded cash from the cash box. The shopkeeper handed over ₹30,000 following which the men collected some ration items and fled the spot on a motorcycle parked outside the shop.

Investigators later found that two of the accused had visited the shop about 20 minutes earlier and purchased a cold drink, allegedly to survey the place before the robbery.

Police subsequently arrested the suspects in another robbery case registered at Kharar and nominated them in the present case during the investigation. The complainant later identified the accused as well as the gold chain during the probe and again during the trial.

The court convicted Shiv Chopra, Mustkeem Ali, Salman Ali, Vijay Kumar and Karanveer Singh for offences under Sections 379-B (snatching), 452 (trespass with motive to hurt) and 506 (threatening) read with Section 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In its judgment, the court said the complainant’s testimony formed the foundation of the prosecution case and remained consistent on the core aspects of the incident. It observed that minor discrepancies in witness statements were natural due to the passage of time and did not affect the credibility of the evidence.

The court also held that identification of the accused in court could be relied upon even in the absence of a formal test identification parade (TIP), if the testimony appeared reliable and trustworthy.

While awarding the sentence, the court observed that “the widespread menace of indiscriminate snatching and robberies has struck terror in the hearts of the populace of the region. Day in and day out, such incidents of snatching have disturbed the peace of the region and require to be dealt with an iron hand.” The court then added that “the time is ripe to convey a message to such offenders that profanity towards law would not be condoned at any cost.”

The court, however, acquitted the accused of the charge under Section 397 (use of deadly weapon) of the IPC, observing that no weapon used in the offence was recovered during the investigation.

Apart from the five-year rigorous imprisonment under Section 379-B (snatching), the court awarded three years’ rigorous imprisonment under Section 452 (trespass with motive to hurt) and one year under Section 506 (threatening). All sentences will run concurrently.