Hotel employee gets five years for robbery
25 May 2012 7:41 AM GMT
An employee of a Central Delhi hotel has been sentenced by a court to five years in jail on Thursday. The accused, Amrit Pal, stole Rs two lakh in cash and gold and diamond ornaments from a jeweller who was staying in the hotel, after administering some drug to him.
Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Jain held Pal guilty of causing hurt to victim Sonu Lal by means of poison and stealing his jewellery, cash, two mobile phones and several debit and credit cards from his hotel room after giving him poisonous tea.
The court said Pal, hailing from Punjab, deserved substantial punishment and not a token sentence or probation, as he betrayed the faith of the victim, a customer of the hotel.
'Being the employee of the hotel, it was his (Pal) moral and legal duty to protect the life and property of the victim. He did not only commit the offence but also betrayed the victim's faith. Moreover, to commit the theft, the convict did not hesitate even in administering poisonous tea to him. This shows that the convict had no concern with the safety of the victim and his only motive was to earn easy money by committing the theft,' the ASJ said, imposing a fine of Rs 75,000 on Pal.
The court said of the amount, Rs 60,000 should be given to Sonu Lal as compensation, as he not only sustained monetary loss but also mental and physical suffering.
According to prosecution, Sonu Lal had come to Delhi from Patna on a business trip in January 2010 and was staying in a hotel in Paharganj. One morning, he placed an order for tea and it was served in his room by Pal, it said.
Police said after consuming the tea, Lal fell unconscious for several hours. On waking up, he found several gold and silver coins, diamond jewellery, Rs two lakh cash, two mobile phones, watch and several credit and debits cards missing.
The court refused Pal's plea of leniency for being the sole bread earner of the family, saying the plight of the victim cannot be ignored.
'Where the offence is committed to earn easy money, clear message should go to the offenders,' the judge said.
The court also directed police to seize Rs 2 lakh, kept in Pal's State Bank of India account at Patiala and return it to the victim with interest.
Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Jain held Pal guilty of causing hurt to victim Sonu Lal by means of poison and stealing his jewellery, cash, two mobile phones and several debit and credit cards from his hotel room after giving him poisonous tea.
The court said Pal, hailing from Punjab, deserved substantial punishment and not a token sentence or probation, as he betrayed the faith of the victim, a customer of the hotel.
'Being the employee of the hotel, it was his (Pal) moral and legal duty to protect the life and property of the victim. He did not only commit the offence but also betrayed the victim's faith. Moreover, to commit the theft, the convict did not hesitate even in administering poisonous tea to him. This shows that the convict had no concern with the safety of the victim and his only motive was to earn easy money by committing the theft,' the ASJ said, imposing a fine of Rs 75,000 on Pal.
The court said of the amount, Rs 60,000 should be given to Sonu Lal as compensation, as he not only sustained monetary loss but also mental and physical suffering.
According to prosecution, Sonu Lal had come to Delhi from Patna on a business trip in January 2010 and was staying in a hotel in Paharganj. One morning, he placed an order for tea and it was served in his room by Pal, it said.
Police said after consuming the tea, Lal fell unconscious for several hours. On waking up, he found several gold and silver coins, diamond jewellery, Rs two lakh cash, two mobile phones, watch and several credit and debits cards missing.
The court refused Pal's plea of leniency for being the sole bread earner of the family, saying the plight of the victim cannot be ignored.
'Where the offence is committed to earn easy money, clear message should go to the offenders,' the judge said.
The court also directed police to seize Rs 2 lakh, kept in Pal's State Bank of India account at Patiala and return it to the victim with interest.
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