The appeals court has lowered the prison sentence issued against an expat who hid stolen electrical cables, although he did not participate in the warehouse heist.
Last month, the Indian man was sentenced to three years in prison for concealing the stolen items, despite knowing they were obtained through illicit means. Appeals judges have reduced the jail term to one year.
His Pakistani co-defendants were each sentenced to five years in prison for breaking into the storage facility, tying up the security guard, destroying CCTV cameras and stealing used cables.
The thieves had planned to strip and sell the cables as scrap since they were made of valuable metals like copper, and can be sold for profit.
They all contested the High Criminal Court’s verdict, but Supreme Criminal Appeals Court judges only reduced the Indian man’s sentence while upholding the rulings against the rest of the accomplices.
According to court documents, the three Pakistanis – aged 27, 31 and 42 – were convicted of theft and property damage. They were also found guilty of ganging up on the Bangladeshi guard and depriving him of his freedom for personal gain while committing the robbery.
The 45-year-old Indian businessman was convicted of concealing stolen items while being aware that they came into his possession illegally – but without participating in the actual theft or assault.
Judges ordered the confiscation of the stolen equipment and the deportation of the four expats after completing their sentences. This ruling was also upheld by the appeals court.
The GDN earlier reported that, in November, the burgling trio and several unidentified individuals snuck up on the security guard in the warehouse, restraining and assaulting him. They then broke into the facility, picked up the used cables and swiftly made away with the precious loot.
The 56-year-old Bangladeshi victim testified that he was on duty in the security cabin when he noticed that a number of people were in the back of the warehouse. They tied his hands, blindfolded him and beat him.
He recounted that he overheard them talk about stealing cables.
“Before they left, one of them removed the blindfold. I was able to free myself, and I went to see the aftermath,” he told the Public Prosecution.
“They destroyed five locks in the warehouse and damaged two security cameras, and stole the device used to store the footage.”
Policemen were later able to track down and locate the suspects and eventually found the cables in the possession of the Indian businessman.
Cables are often targeted for theft, which has been on the rise worldwide, causing economic loss, leaving some without electricity and even leading to train delays.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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