… buyer of the stolen good gets one-month prison term

Chencho Dema | Punakha 

The Punakha dzongkhag court earlier this month convicted a couple for stealing a miter saw, an electric saw giving them prison terms ranging from 45 days to 90 days.

The husband, a 44-year-old man from Tsirangtoe gewog in Tsirang, is sentenced on January 17 to three months in prison for the theft and his 45-year-old wife from Langthel gewog in Trongsa to 45 days in prison for larceny and aiding and abetting.

The husband stole the miter saw from outside one of the houses in Lobesa on the night of December 21.

They were detained on December 24. The item was recovered from Gumkarmo after they confessed to the police.

The stolen item was sold to a 56-year-old man, a farmer from Gumkarmo village in Punakha for Nu 3,000 while it is worth Nu 18,000.

The court convicted the farmer for possession of stolen property under section 255 of the Penal Code. The section states that a defendant shall be guilty of possession of stolen property if the defendant purposely receives, retains, or disposes of the property of another person knowing that it has been stolen, or believing that it has been stolen, with the intent to benefit oneself or a third person other than the owner of the property or to impede the recovery of the property by the owner.

He was sentenced to a month in prison. However, he can pay thrimthue in lieu of imprisonment.

The couple, parents of three children, can also pay thrimthue in lieu of their prison terms. Since they were detained for 24 days, they only have to pay for the remaining days of the prison term.

Sources said that both of them work as day labourers and are alcoholics.