Tumpat kidnapping: cosmetic agent nearly trafficked to Laos

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian cosmetic entrepreneur Rosnazirah Mohd Naim, who was kidnapped from her home in Tumpat, Kelantan two weeks ago, had escaped being smuggled to Laos due to intervention by authorities in neighbouring Thailand. 

This is according to a source who spoke with Getaran, The Vibes’ sister portal, who said that the Royal Malaysian Police had provided information on the victim’s whereabouts to the Thai police. 

The source added that Thai police had set up roadblocks in areas bordering Laos, which led to the victim’s rescue. 

“As a result of the information sharing, the victim was found and rescued when the kidnappers were trying to smuggle the woman out to Laos,” the source said, adding that Rosnazirah is now under police protection here after arriving in the country yesterday. 

“For now, police are monitoring the physical and psychological state of the victim before she is allowed to return to her family.” 

While declining to reveal Rosnazirah’s location to protect her privacy, the source said the seven suspects apprehended for investigations into the case include the victim’s husband and six individuals believed to have ties to a drug trafficking syndicate. 

“All (of the suspects) are still under remand for further probes into the incident.” 

During preliminary investigations, police reportedly believed that the 36-year-old husband of the victim was having a disagreement with a member of a drug trafficking syndicate he had links with. 

Yesterday, it was reported that Rosnazirah – fondly known as Azi – had been rescued by authorities in Thailand and subsequently sent back to Malaysia. 

Police Inspector-General Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said in a statement yesterday that the seven suspects were detained in Kelantan, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur to help in investigations under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961 which deals with “abduction, wrongful restraint or wrongful confinement for ransom.”

If convicted, they will face the death penalty or imprisonment for life. 

If not sentenced to death, the offender under this clause is also liable to whipping.

Acryl Sani said that the Criminal Investigation Department in Bukit Aman had set up a special team to investigate and solve the case soon after the kidnapping took place.

“Through the investigations and close cooperation between the Royal Malaysian Police and the Royal Thai Police, which saw an exchange of information and intelligence, we succeeded in tracking and identifying the location of the victim in Thailand,” he said.

He also expressed his gratitude to the Thai police and the Malaysian Embassy for the assistance and effort put in to save Rosnazirah. 

The successful rescue ended a two-week-long manhunt for the victim who was kidnapped by a group of assailants from her home in Kg Semat Jal, Wakaf Bharu in Tumpat, which is just 14km from the Thai border. 

Earlier reports said Rosnazirah was abducted from her home by three men who had forced her into a Toyota Vios. 

Several witnesses had told investigators that they had seen Azi being brought by boat into the Thai border, where she was held captive. The getaway car was later found abandoned at Kg Kuala Jambu, in Pengkalan Kubor beside the border, on the same evening. – The Vibes, September 30, 2022