Youths rob car driver, jailed for 10 years

Manama

Two hitchhikers, who stole the money of a man after getting into his car, were jailed for 10 years each. The defendants, aged 23 and 24, were reportedly looking for hitching a ride in Awali Fuel Station and saw their 44-year-old victim. They requested him for a ride to Riffa and the man agreed.

When the car started to move, one of them tried to strangle the man using a leather belt and placed a knife on his neck. The second defendant was sitting in the front seat and he drew a knife as well and took BD35 from the victim's pocket.

He later rummaged the car and stole an iPad and BD50. “Before they left, they had asked me to hand over them my phone. They called up someone to come and pick them," the victim told prosecutors earlier. "Then they fled together when he arrived," he added.

Police identified the culprits from a CCTV footage installed in a cold store at the station. The defendants were later apprehended. Their saliva tested positive for hashish. The High Criminal Court handed down them 10 years behind bars each for the robbery and one year in prison each for consuming drugs.