Peru’s authorities has enacted authorized adjustments imposing harsh penalties for stealing cellphones, together with life in jail for the one that kills somebody whereas robbing a cell gadget
ByThe Related Press
October 19, 2023, 5:38 PM
LIMA, Peru — Peru’s authorities will impose harsh penalties for many who steal a cellphone, together with life in jail if a robber kills somebody whereas stealing their cell gadget.
The adjustments to the nation’s penal code, permitted just lately in Congress, went into impact Thursday.
Peru’s penal code didn’t embody jail time for stealing cellphones, however authorities say they determined to revisit the legislation after they noticed an growing charge of theft of cell units all through the nation.
Through the first 9 months of 2023, about 1.2 million cellphones had been reported stolen in Peru, in response to the nation’s telecommunication authority. That’s greater than 4,000 units a day.
The brand new penalties will ship “a transparent warning to all those that steal cellphones,” Inside Minister Vicente Romero stated.
At the very least 11 different crimes are punished with life in jail in Peru, together with femicides, kidnapping of younger youngsters and sexual exploitation of minors.
The brand new penal code establishes that stealing a cellphone will carry an preliminary penalty of 12 years in jail and may go as much as 30 years if the individual makes use of a weapon or explosives throughout the theft.