Rajkot: A marital dispute culminated in a seven-year jail term after a Junagadh sessions court convicted a man for armed robbery and house trespass for storming his mother-in-law’s house with a deadly weapon to try to force his estranged wife to return.Additional sessions judge A R Rana convicted Arbazsha alias Degdi Ismailsha Rifai under Sections 392 (robbery) read with 397 (robbery with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 452 (house-trespass) of the Indian Penal Code. He was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 2,000. The case arose from a domestic dispute between Arbazsha and his wife Salma, the youngest daughter of the complainant, Shahenaz. The couple had married about three years before the incident. Due to alleged physical abuse, Salma left her matrimonial home and returned to live with her parents. Angered by his wife’s refusal to rejoin him, Arbazsha visited his in-laws’ house on Dec 19, 2023, and again on Dec 23, 2023. Armed with a “farsi” (a bladed weapon), he demanded that Salma be sent back with him, threatening to kill family members if they did not comply. When his demand was refused, Arbazsha forcibly entered the house, pushed his mother-in-law, hurled utensils into the courtyard and damaged a window grille. He waved the weapon and snatched Shahenaz’s purse containing Rs 500 before fleeing the spot. During the trial, the defence contended that the case had been fabricated to facilitate Salma’s divorce. However, the court relied on the testimonies of Shahenaz and other prosecution witnesses, including Salma, who consistently corroborated the armed intrusion and robbery. Additional public prosecutor A M Parekh said the court convicted the accused after considering the prosecution’s witnesses and the evidence on record.
