KUALA LUMPUR: Five men were charged in a Magistrate's Court here on Wednesday (May 17) with kidnapping a salesman for RM1.12mil ransom last month.
Suhaimi Mat Zin, 41, Wong Guo Song, 33, Yong Zi Hui, 25, Zulkarnain Ramli, 46, and Muhammad Azam Hatan, 32, nodded after the charge was read out to them before Magistrate Wong Chai Sia, but no plea was recorded as the case comes under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
The five, together with others still at large, were jointly charged with abducting and wrongfully confining Lau Jia Kin, 39, to obtain the ransom at Jalan Mesra Ria, Bandar Sri Petaling here at 10.30pm on April 29.
The charge, under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, provides for the death sentence or life imprisonment and whipping, if found guilty.
Lawyers Muhammad Ashraff Mohd Diah, Azinuddin Karim, Izzati Yaacop and Tharamjit Singh represented Suhaimi, Wong, Yong and Zulkarnain, respectively, while Muhammad Azam was unrepresented.
The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Sareeka Balakrishnan.
The court set July 17 for mention. – Bernama