Two robbers handed down seven-year imprisonment in 2021 mugging case

A sessions court has sentenced two men to seven-year imprisonment in a robbery case. Nisar Ali Khan alias Dilshad Ali Khan and Faraz Ahmed Khan were found guilty of robbing a citizen of his laptop, two mobile phones, cash and other valuables at gunpoint within the remits of the Khokhrapar police station in January 2021.

Additional Sessions Judge (East) Shahid Ali Memon observed that the prosecution had succeeded in establishing the case against the accused persons beyond any shadow of doubt by producing confidence-inspiring oral as well as documentary evidence. Therefore, he said, they deserved to be punished in accordance with law.

The judge sentenced both the convicts to undergo rigorous imprisonment for seven years for the offence punishable under the Section 397 (robbery or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

He noted that street crime was increasing day by day and no one felt secure at the hands of merciless muggers. "Thus under such circumstances, the release of accused persons would not be better for the Society," he added.

According to the prosecution, complainant Muhammad Azam stated that on January 5, 2021, he was returning home from work when two men riding a motorcycle intercepted him near Al Mustafa Hospital, Khokhrapar and snatched his laptop, Rs7,000 in cash, two mobile phones, an ATM card and valuable documents.

In his written order, the judge noted that the victim, being the important and prime witness, fully supported and corroborated the prosecution case but at the end of his deposition, he said that he had forgiven both accused persons.

"It means the accused persons had committed the crime and now complainant made statement regarding his forgiveness to accused persons," he added. "Be that as it may, while I have carefully evaluated his cross examination in consonance with his evidence and found that defence counsels were unable to have caused any major or minor dent to his sound, direct, cogent, coherence and confidence inspiring evidence rather got the prosecution case admitted."

It may be noted here that Nisar was convicted by a court in May last year and sentenced to seven-year imprisonment. However, the Sindh High Court set aside his conviction and remanded the case back to the court for cross-examination of all the witness by the defence counsel. He along with his accomplice Faraz, who was previously declared absconder, stood the trial.