New Delhi: An Indian employed with the Chinese embassy here has been sentenced to one year in jail for purchasing a stolen VCR from a teenage friend 13 years ago
that was purloined from city police headquarters.
The Delhi court refused to accept the leniency plea of 35-year-old accused Dinesh Kumar, a Delhi resident, for release on probation on the grounds of good conduct and that he is sole bread earner of the family comprising old parents, two young children and a sister.
"Considering the fact that convict was found to be in possession of VCR and the remote stolen from the office of Senior Additional Commissioner of Police and it is well known fact that thefts as well as offence of keeping stolen goods
are on the increase in the city, he does not deserve to be released on probation," Metropolitan Magistrate Ekta Gauba said.
"Interest of justice will be served if for offence punishable under Section 411 IPC (receiving stolen property), convict Dinesh Kumar is sentenced to simple imprisonment for one year and to pay fine of Rs 1,000," she added.
During the trial, Dinesh claimed to be innocent and accused the police of planting the goods to implicate him.
However, Dinesh could not produce any witness to support his claims while the prosecution produced 10 out of whom eight were police officials.
The FIR in the case was registered in April 1998, when a constable reported that he locked the office of senior ACP on a Friday evening and submitted the keys to the guard but when he opened the same on Monday morning the VCR along with
its remote and trolley were missing.
Police arrested Pradeep Kumar in November 1998 in connection with some other case of theft and during interrogation he confessed to stealing the VCR from the
ACP`s office on the fifth floor of Delhi police headquarters and also a fax machine from an office on the fourth floor.
However, Pradeep being a minor at the time of offence was sent for trial before a juvenile court.
Pradeep during interrogation named Dinesh as the person who bought the VCR and the appliances were recovered by police from the house of Dinesh.
PTI
