BUTTERWORTH – Three Myanmar nationals face a possible death penalty after they were brought to the magistrates’ court here on charges of kidnapping a fellow countryman and demanding a ransom of RM3,000.
No confessions were recorded from the accused – Abdul Rahim Ali Husson, 38; Taher Ahmad Mustafa Ahmad, 42; and Mostaque Ahmed Rofiq Ahmed, 36 – after the charges were read out by an interpreter in Malay before magistrate Noor Farah Hazwani Osman today.
According to the charge sheet, the three accused were found to have kidnapped a Myanmar man known as Saddik Mohammad Jalil last month with the intention of obtaining a ransom of RM3,000.
They were charged with committing the offence at a house in Kg Masjid, Sg Layar, in Sg Petani, Kedah, between October 21, 8.10pm, and October 24, 8.25pm.
They were charged under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961 (Act 365) read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, and if convicted, they will face the death penalty or life imprisonment, and if not sentenced to death, they can be whipped.
While the three accused are unrepresented, deputy public prosecutor Nurameera Shahrul Azrin acted on behalf of the government.
The court did not allow bail and has set December 3 for case mention.
Earlier, police received a report from a local woman informing that her 26-year-old employee was abducted by two men in a car at 10.43pm, last Monday.
Following the report, police arrested nine individuals in separate raids in Penang and Kedah in an effort to rescue the victim.
Nine individuals – aged between 21 and 48 – were detained. Seven were Myanmar nationals, while the rest were a Malaysian man and woman.
The detained Myanmar nationals hold valid United Nations High Commission for Refugees cards. – The Vibes, November 1, 2021
