Washington: An Indian-American has been
sentenced by a US court to 21 years and 3 months in prison for
a 2008 armed bank robbery during which he shot a bank teller
in the hand leaving her "permanently" injured and took away
USD 23,471 along with two of his accomplices.
The verdict against 43-year-old Anirudh Lakhan Sukhu was
delivered yesterday by the Maryland Court, which also
sentenced him to four years of supervised release after
completion of his 21 years and 3 months imprisonment, said US
Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J Rosenstein.
According to his plea agreement, Sukhu met two
conspirators, Sharman Said and Omar Burnett, on November 20,
2008 to plan a robbery of the Bank of America located on Ten
Oaks Road in Clarksville, Maryland.
That same morning, the robbers rode to the bank in
Sukhu's pick-up truck and entered, brandishing guns and
announcing the robbery. Burnett brandished his handgun,
vaulted the counter and demanded money from the tellers.
Sukhu, armed with a sawed-off 12 gauge shotgun, entered
an office where a bank employee was hiding and ordered the
employee to come out. "When the employee moved, Sukhu fired,
shooting the employee in the hand and permanently injuring
her," the plea agreement stated.
Sukhu then also vaulted the counter and took money from
the tellers, which he placed in a red and black bag, while
Said remained at the front door, armed with a handgun, and
served as a look-out. The robbers took USD 23,471 and fled
from the bank in the truck.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, December 12, 2009, 13:40