TWO friends have been charged at the Seri Manjung Sessions Court in Seri Manjung on Wednesday with two counts of trafficking twin sisters, aged 14, for the purpose of sexual exploitation since May.
The accused, Muhammad Mustaqim Mohd Zuber, 25, and Syazwani Mohd Hashim, 26, pleaded not guilty and requested a trial after the charges were read before Judge Azizah Ahmad.
According to the charge sheet, the two unmarried accused were charged together with trafficking two minors for sexual exploitation at an apartment in Teluk Muruh, Lumut, in the Manjung district, between May 12 and June 15, 2025.
The prosecution was conducted under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007, which provides for a life sentence or a prison term of not less than five years, as well as caning, upon conviction.
The case was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor M Esther Jacyntha, while both accused were not represented by a lawyer.
The prosecution did not offer bail, but requested the court to set an amount of between RM15,000 and RM20,000 should bail be granted, with the additional condition that the accused not disturb witnesses until the case is over.
Syazwani, who works as a clinic assistant in Manjung, appealed for a low bail on the grounds that she came from a poor family, while Muhammad Mustaqim also appealed for a minimum bail because he only earned an income from repairing mobile phones.
The court then allowed each accused to be bailed at RM7,000 with one surety, in addition to the condition that they report to a nearby police station once a month.
The judge also reminded the two accused not to disturb all prosecution witnesses, especially the victims, until the case is over.
The court set September 22 as the date for a re-mention of the case.
It is understood that the victims, who are still in school, were cared for by their grandparents and got to know the suspects through social media since last May. - August 20, 2025
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