A 24-year-old youth was on Monday sentenced by a sessions court to two-years rigorous imprisonment after he had already spent more than that duration in prison as an undertrial for stealing a mobile phone from a local train commuter by ‘fatka’.
Mohd. Sajid Shaikh, a footpath dweller in Bandra was arrested on November 18, 2018 after the incident and had since been in jail. He will get a set-off for the period spent in custody as per the court’s order. Seeking leniency in his sentencing, his advocate told the court that he is poor and could not even seek bail and had already spent over two years in custody.
Among other offences, Shaikh had been charged for an offence under the Railways Act that provides for life imprisonment. The court said the offence is not proved, but held him guilty of the offence of causing danger to the informant’s life by his act, for which the maximum punishment is five years. The court considered his age, antecedents and nature of offence while deciding the sentence.
Shaikh had dealt a blow to the hand of the informant Jahangir Ansari and stolen his mobile phone that fell on the platform due to the impact. Ansari was on his way with his friend Shahid Ansari to Juhu in the evening on that day. The duo had boarded a Borivali slow train from Bandra. Jahangir was at the door of the train when the train was reaching Platform No. 3 at Santacruz railway station, when the incident took place. Jahangir got down from the train and chased Shaikh who was fleeing with his Vivo mobile worth Rs. 12,500. Shaikh was nabbed by police who too joined in the chase.
A police constable who had chased Shaikh and helped nab him also deposed as a witness before the court and identified Shaikh.
