A 29-year-old man landed in trouble with the Children's Court convicting him and imposing seven years' rigorous imprisonment for robbing a mobile phone from a minor boy at knife-point, in broad daylight in Beguru, in Bengaluru, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
"The accused threatened the victim by showing a knife. As a result, the boy not only lost his valuables but also his confidence and courage to face the odds in society. The incident might have left a permanent scar on his mind," said Santhosh CB, Judge of the Special Court established to try offences against children, while sentencing accused Govindaraj alias Parivala Putta, resident of Kumaraswamy Layout, to undergo rigorous imprisonment for seven years.
The judge also directed that a copy of the judgment be placed before the District Legal Services Authority for payment of appropriate compensation to the victim under the victim compensation scheme.
What happened?
The complainant Arya (name changed), 17 years, deposed that the accused Govindaraju along with another person came accosted him when he was walking with his younger brother towards their aunt's house around 2.30 pm on May 18, 2020, in Devarachikkanahalli. He brandished a knife and demanded that he hand over his mobile phone to him.
When he refused, one of the men held him and the other accused forcibly snatched his mobile phone from his pocket. The accused also attempted to stab him with the knife, but he escaped and later they both ran away from the spot. The shocked teenager lodged a complaint with the local police station the next day.
What did the court say?
"The accused committed robbery by using a deadly weapon and threatened to cause injury. The offence committed by the accused is against society at large and damages the very fabric of the well-being of the society. Such type of incidents cause society a feeling of insecurity," the court observed.
On the objection raised by the counsel of the accused about a day's delay in lodging the complaint, the court observed that it is quite understandable that if an unknown person without any rhyme or reason terrorises someone and snatches his mobile, a person aged 17 would be under severe trauma, and undergo a lot of mental turmoil whether to go to the police or not. He would require considerable time to think and come out of the terrorised incident to lodge a complaint.
