A trio that spread panic among traders travelling to the weekly Souks in the Doukkala region has been neutralised.
We are at the criminal chamber of the El Jadida Court of Appeal. Three criminals stand in the dock, prosecuted while in custody for forming a criminal gang, aggravated robbery, and assault with a bladed weapon. Beside them stands, also in custody, a young woman accused of complicity and debauchery. In fact, by pure chance, they were neutralised by the Royal Gendarmerie of Chtouka, which falls under the province of El Jadida.
All four were in a car when it hit an animal on National Road No. 1, in the Chtouka region, which falls under the province of El Jadida. Immediately, the Royal Gendarmerie investigators approached their car to see what was happening. The investigators asked them to show their papers and get out. In short, their behaviour made them suspicious. The three young men and the young woman complied. The gendarmes began searching their pockets and the car. They found a black balaclava. Questioned about the existence of this balaclava, one of them cracked and confessed that they were a criminal gang. He stated that he had long maintained a friendship with one of the other two members of the gang and a romantic relationship with the young woman in their company.
Meanwhile, they met the third young man who suggested they form a gang specialising in assaults. Since then, they had begun their criminal activities by assaulting victims, particularly traders who were travelling early to the weekly Souks. Over time, they went to Safi to steal a car, a Dacia Duster, in which they began to travel through the Chtouka, Oualidia, Ouled Ghanem, Azemmour, El Jadida, and Sidi Smaïl regions to carry out their assaults. The judicial investigation revealed that they wore balaclavas every time they attacked their victims.
Before the Court, they denied the charges against them, even though their confessions were recorded in the minutes of their hearings. The public prosecutor's representative requested a heavy sentence for them due to the violence used against the victims. On the other hand, the defence lawyers requested their acquittal because they had exonerated themselves before the Court.
Verdict: after deliberations, the Court found the four defendants guilty and delivered its verdict, sentencing each of the three young thugs to 12 years of criminal imprisonment. As for the young woman, she received a year and a half of firm imprisonment.
