39 years on, 3 jailed for fraud

Our Correspondent

Kharar, December 16

Three residents of Mohali, aged between 70 and 95 years, were today arrested in a case of cheating and fraud registered against them in 1978. Though they had been convicted by the competent court, they kept challenging their conviction till the Supreme Court, which finally ordered their arrest while upholding their conviction. Two accomplices died during the legal battle they fought for 39 years.

The Kharar police have arrested Ajmer Singh (95), Baldev Singh (75) and Bhag Singh (70), all residents of Matour in Mohali and produced them before a Ropar court, which sent them to jail, said SHO  Bhagwant Singh.

He said an FIR under Section 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC was registered against five persons in connection with a cheating and fraud committed by them on October 16, 1978. All five accused, Baldev Singh, Ajmer Singh, Nika Singh, Bhag Singh and Sucha Singh were residents of Matour.

After standing trial, the accused were convicted and sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment. They had even remained behind bars for about six months. They challenged their conviction before the Ropar Sessions Court, which rejected their appeal. Later, they went to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where also their appeal was rejected. Refusing to accept their conviction, the convicts then approached the Supreme Court, which heard the case and upheld their conviction and sentence recently. The Supreme Court ordered to re-arrest the convicts and send them to jail.

Acting on the Supreme Court order, a Ropar court asked the Kharar police to re-arrest the convicts before December 18. Accordingly, the police arrested the three surviving convicts and produced them before the court, which sent them to the Ropar jail.

Two other convicts in the case — Nikka Singh and Sucha Singh, had since died.