Labourer in Kelantan gets four years’ jail, RM6,000 fine for abducting man over brother’s debt and stealing Volkswagen Jetta

PASIR MAS, July 5 — A labourer was sentenced to four years’ jail and fined RM6,000 by the Sessions Court here today on two charges of kidnapping and car theft in Tendong last month.

Judge Zulkpli Abdullah handed down the sentence after Mohamad Syamsul Azroy Che Anuar, 32, pleaded guilty to the charges, and ordered an additional six months’ imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.

On the first charge, Mohamad Syamsul and three others still at large were accused of kidnapping Mohd Shahrul Nizam Mohd Asri, 35, with the intent to secretly and wrongfully confine him at a house in Tendong at about 3.30pm on June 6.

He was charged under Section 365 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which carries a penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine.

The court sentenced the accused to four years’ jail from the date of his arrest on June 16, along with a RM3,000 fine for the kidnapping offence, with an additional three months’ jail if the fine is not paid.

On the second charge, he and the same three individuals still at large were accused of stealing a car belonging to Mohd Taufik Mohd Asri, 25, at the same location, time and date.

He was charged under Section 379A(1) of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which carries a penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine.

However, the court sentenced him to three years’ jail and a RM3,000 fine, with an additional three months’ imprisonment if the fine is unpaid. Both sentences are to run concurrently.

Deputy public prosecutor Siti Aisyha Na’ilah Harizan appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented.

According to the facts of the case, Mohd Shahrul Nizam was kidnapped on June 6 after four individuals, including the accused, approached him looking for the victim’s brother, Mohd Taufik, over an unpaid debt.

The victim was abducted and taken to the border via an illegal route before being rescued by Thai police the following day. The group also stole a Volkswagen Jetta. — Bernama