Robbery Suspects Face a Possible one-year Sentence

SAN JOSE – 19-year-old Nikhil Navneet Sinha was booked on suspicion of robbery under PC 211-212.5 (c), after three victims were attacked for their cell phones, I-pods and other personal property while walking home near Leigh High School.

Sinha is also facing three felony counts under PC 664, for the use of force and/or intimidation during the robbery attack. According to the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office, a plea hearing has been set for July 29th in the Superior Court Dept. 39 at 9:00 a.m.

The attack occurred in San Jose, near Alameda Rd and Elrose Ave. in the early afternoon when three suspects, who had been walking on the opposite side of the roadway at the same time as three other juvenile teen victims, approached them crossing the street. When the groups met at the end of the sidewalk, Sinha, who was a part of one group, jumped forward and drew a knife demanding money and any personal property, ordering the victims to empty their pockets.

Sinha took a cell phone and I-pod from the first teen, and then moved towards the second juvenile victim, demanding his personal property. However, one of the victims had recognized one of the juvenile suspects who had been walking with Sinha, and called out his name, asking him to return his friend’s cell phone. The juvenile suspect took the phone from Sinha and gave it back to the first victim. While those two talked, the others were still caught off guard by Sinha, who continued to try and take the property of the young man. One of them had a guitar case, in which Sinha fumbled from his grasp as he tried to run away.

Sinha was arrested on May 17, 2013 after the two other juvenile suspects were booked for their part in the robbery. Investigators had contacted the known juvenile suspect on May 9 after reviewing the victims’ accounts of what happened during the robbery. One victim remembered Sinha as saying, “Give me your I-pod before I (#*@!) you up.” The second victim remembered one of the suspects from music class, and was able to give a description and name of the suspect. He remembered saying to him, “Hey ‘nigga’ give the guy back his phone.” Two of the three suspects were identified as being juvenile black males. However, Sinha is described as being of Indian decent with long black hair that was tied in a pony tail.

Suspects tried to take an I-pod, cell phone, money and a guitar case

Robbery investigators then contacted the first suspect and took him into custody. The suspect denied taking part in the robbery, however, he was found to have an I-pod when police searched him. Later in the interview, he had explained he recognized one of the victims as he walked up to him, when one of his friends he was walking with decided to jump them. He said Sinha took his friend’s cell phone, and he took it back. Then he said that the suspect tried to take a second cell phone and a guitar case.

The juvenile suspect said they looked through the cell phone, then he said they hid it in the bushes before going home. The suspect was able to take investigators to the place where the phone was hidden. Investigators seized and placed it into evidence.

A follow-up with a second victim using a photo line-up on May 10 enabled the teen to positively identify Sinha as one of his attackers. In a statement by the victim he said, “That’s definitely the guy that took my phone.” The blue Verizon phone that was located by the suspect was identified as the victim’s cell phone.

Each time the suspect’s photo was shown to the victims, Sinha was identified as the person that had intimidated them into giving him their property.