6 plead not guilty to kidnapping Chinese national for US$1mil ransom
Published on: Thursday, August 15, 2024
By: Bernama
The six defendants were denied bail when they were charged in the Sepang sessions court today. (Bernama pic)
SEPANG: A married couple and four others were charged in the sessions court here today with the kidnapping of a Chinese national for a US$1 million ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency last month.
The accused – husband and wife Loh Wei Jian and Wong Xiao Yen, both 29, Jun Hiong, 28, Law Han Wei, 28, Dhinnesh Tan, 29, and Jong Li Jiat, 25 – pleaded not guilty before judge Amir Affendy Hamzah.
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According to the charge sheet, the six, along with four others still at large, are accused of wrongfully detaining the man for a ransom of a little more than US$1 million.
They were alleged to have committed the offence at the Cyberjaya exit of the Maju Expressway at 11am on July 11.
The charge, framed under Section 3 (1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961 and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, provides for a prison sentence of 30 to 40 years and caning, if convicted.
The prosecution was handled by deputy public prosecutor Wafi Husain, while the accused were represented by counsel G Freda Sabapathy (Chen), Zali Shaari (Law), Nur Aminahtul Mardiah Nor (Tan), P Haresh (Jong) and Bernard Francis, representing Loh and Wong.
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Each defence counsel requested bail for his or her client, but Amir denied the applications.
"After considering all arguments and the nature of the charge, the court has decided that bail will not be granted," the judge said, setting Oct 8 for the submission of documents.
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Earlier this week, it was reported that police were still tracking down four suspects believed to be involved in the case.
Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that the four – three men and a woman – were part of an 18-member gang responsible for planning and executing the kidnapping, and are believed to still be in the country.
On Aug 3, police shot and killed four suspects in separate locations in Skudai, Johor, also believed to be involved in the kidnapping.
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