A MALAYSIAN motoring influencer and his younger brother have been sentenced to one month in prison and fined RM1,500 each by the Magistrates’ Court after admitting to filing a false police report regarding a fabricated disappearance in Sungai Tui, Bukit Kepong on 14 July.
The accused, Tengku Nizaruddin Tengku Zainudin, 38, and his brother, Tengku Abdul Aziz Tengku Zainudin, 30, pleaded guilty when charges were read separately before Magistrate Suzana Mokhtar.
The court ruled that both would face an additional three months’ imprisonment should they fail to pay the fine. Both men subsequently settled the fines.
According to the charge, Tengku Nizaruddin was accused of abetting his brother by instructing him to provide false information to a police officer concerning his alleged disappearance and inaccessibility since 4.00pm on 14 July.
The offence was said to have taken place at 11.38pm on 15 July at the Enquiry Office of Lenga Police Station. He was charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code read together with Section 182, which carries a penalty of up to six months’ imprisonment or a maximum fine of RM2,000 or both.
His brother, Tengku Abdul Aziz, was charged with providing the false information to police at the same date, time, and location, under Section 182 of the Penal Code.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Nur Ameerah Allaudeen and Yasmin Mohd Piah, while both defendants were represented by lawyer Nor Hafizah Abdullah from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK).
During the proceedings, Nor Shuhada Amsari, Chief of Zone 4, Johor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), gave an impact statement describing how the false report significantly disrupted their operations, including the mobilisation of the Water Rescue Team (PPDA) and K9 unit.
Nur Ameerah urged the court to impose a custodial sentence, citing the public resources and manpower deployed by the Fire and Rescue Department and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) over four days during the search and rescue operation.
In mitigation, Tengku Nizaruddin appealed for a non-custodial sentence, noting that his wife is due to give birth to their second child in November.
According to the case facts, on 14 July, Tengku Abdul Aziz lodged a police report at Lenga Police Station stating that while driving a Honda Civic, he passed a Perodua Axia, allegedly driven by his brother, along the Muar-Labis trunk road. He claimed that his brother was en route to Muar to send the car for repairs.
The following day, police received a call reporting the discovery of a white Perodua Axia submerged in Sungai Tui, near an oil palm plantation in Bukit Kepong, prompting a full search and rescue operation for the 'missing person'.
However, on 19 July, Tengku Nizaruddin turned himself in at Lenga Police Station and confessed to fabricating the incident.
Investigations revealed that after pushing the car into the river, he contacted his brother to pick him up by the roadside. They were later seen at a minimarket in Taman Sri Mawar, Senawang, Negeri Sembilan.
Further checks revealed that a flight ticket had been booked to Hatyai International Airport in Thailand. Tengku Nizaruddin had arranged for an e-hailing vehicle to Seremban Bus Terminal and later exited Malaysia via Padang Besar, Perlis, according to immigration records.
Police investigations at the scene confirmed the absence of any crash debris or signs of an accident on the road near the river. - July 26, 2025
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