7 years' jail for 5 in dacoity case

Five men were sentenced to seven years in prison for abducting and robbing a person at gunpoint by a Delhi court which noted that the rise in such crimes was a matter of "serious concern".
The court handed the jail terms to Chandan (30), Karan (30), Akash (25), Afzal (24) and Mukesh (25) after holding that they were guilty of abduction with intention to wrongfully confine a person, dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt, dishonestly receiving stolen property and conspiracy.
"The deteriorating law and order problem in the city is a matter of serious concern and immediate steps are required at all levels to ensure security and safety of the citizens. Instances of young persons getting involved in criminal activities of robbing innocent persons by putting them under the threat of death are also on the rise.

"The courts are required to find answers to the new challenges facing society and to mould the sentencing system to meet these challenges," said Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau.
A sixth accused, Nasir, allegedly an associate of the convicted persons, was, however, acquitted due to lack of evidence.
According to the prosecution, in a case of March, 2010, the five men had abducted one Prashant Pandey and confined him in a car. They robbed the victim him of his two mobile phones, laptop and also withdrew Rs 20,000 using his ATM card in the Adarsh Nagar area here.
While Karan was said to have retained the laptop taken from Pandey, a country-made pistol without licence was found in Chandan's possession.

A case in the matter was registered at Adarsh Nagar police station.