# Punishment for Theft: Section 379 PPC

What the Pakistan Penal Code actually says about the punishment for theft — quoted from the
section, not paraphrased.

## The section, as retrieved

> 379. Punishment for theft: Whoever commits theft shall be punished with imprisonment of
> either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
>
> — Pakistan Penal Code, Chapter XVII, Section 379. Retrieved from the corpus indexed by FAI
> Legal Research Assistant. Unverified for currency or amendment — confirm against an
> official or recently updated source before relying on it.

## What this means

Section 379 sets the general punishment for theft: up to three years' imprisonment, a fine,
or both. It does not define theft itself — that sits in Section 378, in the same Chapter, and
turns on the dishonest taking of movable property out of another person's possession without
consent. The Chapter also carries aggravated forms of theft, each with its own, heavier
punishment section; Section 379 is the baseline, not the ceiling.

## What this page does not cover

- The definition of theft itself (Section 378) and its explanations and illustrations.
- Aggravated theft offences carrying heavier sentences under later sections.
- Whether a case is theft, criminal breach of trust, or cheating — see
  [criminal breach of trust](https://failegal.site/breach-of-trust-pakistan) and
  [cheating](https://failegal.site/cheating-fraud-pakistan).
- Amendments made after this text was indexed.

## Frequently asked

**Is theft a bailable offence in Pakistan?** This page covers only Section 379's punishment
provision, not bailability, which depends on the offence's classification in the Code's
schedule.

**Does Section 379 cover theft of any kind of property?** Section 379 is the punishment
section; the scope of what counts as theft — specifically movable property — is set by the
definition in Section 378.

- [Cheating (fraud)](https://failegal.site/cheating-fraud-pakistan)
- [Criminal breach of trust](https://failegal.site/breach-of-trust-pakistan)