JASIN: An Indonesian trader was sentenced to 15 months in prison and one stroke of the rotan for cheating an elderly man out of RM54,500.
The trader was said to sell a glowing stone that allegedly cures illnesses.
Magistrate Mohd Firdaus Saleh meted out the sentence against Rino Pito, 47, after he pleaded guilty on Wednesday.
The court was told that Rini had convinced the victim, Talib Dahlan@Jaslan, 76, that the stone was magical.
The charge was framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and whipping upon conviction.
The offence was committed at Jasin Town on Oct 5, 2022.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Hanis Aliah Ahmad Kamarulnajuib prosecuted while Rino was unrepresented.
On Oct 13 last year, The Star reported that the elderly Felda settler from Nyalas had lost his savings after being scammed by two fraudsters who offered to sell him the stone.
Then-Jasin OCPD Deputy Supt Mispani Hamdan said the victim lodged a police report after discovering the stone’s purported “magical” properties were non- existent.
It was reported that one of the suspects noticed that the victim’s wife used a walking stick and offered the stone, which he claimed had the power to cure all ailments.
DSP Mispani reportedly said one of the suspects then placed the “diamond” in a plastic bag filled with water to convince the victim that it would light up when submerged.
