Court sentences Arshad to 9 months over 2016 robbery attempt

Arshad Khalid has been sentenced to nine months in prison by the Criminal Court in connection with an attempted robbery committed in 2016.

The court found Arshad guilty on Sunday after rehearing a case involving a break-in at the office of View Constructions, located at G. Newshaaraazuge, where a safe and other property were damaged. He was convicted on two charges: attempted theft and damage to property.

Arshad was initially charged in relation to the incident in 2016. In 2019, the Criminal Court acquitted him, ruling that the charges were not proven. The case was later appealed, and the High Court ordered the Criminal Court to rehear the matter, citing a failure to properly consider the evidence presented.

Following the rehearing, the Criminal Court sentenced Arshad to two months and one day in prison for attempted theft and seven months for damage to property, bringing the total sentence to nine months.

The High Court noted in its ruling that the earlier acquittal had been issued without adequate assessment of the evidence.

Arshad, a native of GA. Hoadheddhoo, has previously been arrested in several drug-related cases. In 2022, he was arrested in connection with the alleged possession of 119 kilograms of drugs and was reported to have travelled to Dubai to evade arrest. He was released shortly after being detained, with the court citing insufficient evidence.

In 2020, Arshad was also arrested in a separate drug case. None of those cases have resulted in convictions.