Three acquitted in two-year-old snatching case in Chandigarh

A local court has acquitted three accused Kuldeep, Krishna and Vishal arrested in a snatching case after the prosecution failed to prove the charges. The police had registered the case on September 15, 2023, under Sections 379-B, 34 and 411 of the IPC at the Sector 26 police station on the complaint of Rampal Sharma of Sector 30-B, Chandigarh.

He said that he dealt in sale of cigarettes and cold drinks at the tin market, Sector 28-D, Chandigarh. On September 10, 2023, three boys came to his shop and one of them hit him in the face and then took out a white envelope containing cash from the left pocket of his shirt. The envelope was containing Rs 600, his and his wife’s Aadhar cards and a passbook of his bank. The second boy then gave him a push, while the third boy was waiting on a motorcycle outside. When he raised an alarm, all three boys fled from the spot on the motorcycle.

During the course of investigation, the police arrested all three accused. After completing the necessary formalities, a case against them was registered. They did not plead guilty and claimed trial. The counsel of the accused argued that they had been falsely implicated in the case. He said that even the complainant had failed to identify the accused during the trial.

After hearing the arguments the court acquitted all accused. It said that the complainant neither identified the accused, nor had stated that they had been apprehended in his presence or recoveries made in front of him. Besides, there was no other independent witness. Thereby, the prosecution had failed to prove the identity of the accused. Accordingly, all accused are acquitted of the charges framed against them, giving them benefit of doubt, the court said.