THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Additional Sessions Court here on Monday sentenced notorious criminal Devinder Singh, alias Bunty Chor, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of `10,000 on him. He was sentenced four years after he was caught.
Delivering the sentence, the court said the charges of house-breaking, robbery and destruction of evidence had been proved against him. Moreover, Bunty Chor also admitted before the court that he had committed the offences.
The court had found him guilty on April 22. He was found guilty of charges under Sections 457 (house trespass) 380 (theft in house) and 461 (dishonestly breaking into receptacle containing property) of the IPC. However, while pronouncing the sentence, the judge gave him enhanced punishment, taking into account his previous track record as a habitual offender, under Section 75 of the IPC. This was done after considering a special submission moved by the prosecution during the trial stage.
Bunty Chor was arrested by the police following robbery at the high security house of an NRI at Marappalam near Pattom in the city in 2013. He had cut through the bullet-proof glass door, deactivated two security alarms and close-circuit television cameras and made away with an SUV worth `30 lakh, a laptop, two mobile phones, gold jewellery and cash. Though the security alarm and CCTVs had been deactivated, one of the cameras hidden behind a door captured his image, and it helped the police to nab him.
He has been undergoing imprisonment for the past 4 years. He had also been admitted to a mental rehabilitation centre for some time as he had shown symptoms of mental retardation. However, it was found that he did not have any mental illness and was sent back to jail.
He has hundreds of cases against him in different states.