IPOH: A foreign worker recruitment agent has been charged at the Magistrate’s Court here with five counts of deceiving a man into investing RM58,000 for a so-called investment deal of supplying medical goods to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital.
N. Narendran, 44, pleaded not guilty to the charges before Magistrate S. Punitha on Thursday (Sept 12).
He was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which provides for a jail term of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
According to the charge sheets, Narendran had between Nov 27 and Dec 23, 2023, deceived an individual by the name of M. Punnusamy, 66, into believing that the accused was able to secure high returns from an investment deal to supply medical goods to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital.
The accused had then fraudulently deceived the victim to make payments in instalments under his company’s account “Mess N Medical” at different dates and times totalling RM58,000.
The charge sheet also stated that the individual would not have made the payments if he had not been tricked into doing so by the accused.
Deputy public prosecutor Vatchira Wong Rui Fern told the court that the accused had failed to turn up for an appeal case and thus additional conditions must be imposed, such as the accused being required to report to the nearest police station until the case is over, and also for his passport to be surrendered to the court.
She requested that the court set bail at RM6,000 for each charge.
Narendran’s lawyer K. Nahtan argued that if the DPP knew if a notice of appeal was served to the accused or otherwise for his appeal case.
“My learned friend should know better, if such a notice is served and my client failed to attend court, then a warrant of arrest should have been issued.
“If no such notice is served, how will he know when to attend the hearing? Please do not mislead the court,” he added.
Nahtan added that his client earned RM2,000 per month as a foreign worker agent, was married with a seven-year-old child and was the sole breadwinner of the family.
“He needs his passport for work. He needs to go out of the country to get the workers.
“I request the court to allow a bail of RM10,000 for all the charges,” he added.
Magistrate Punitha set bail at RM8,000 with one surety, required the accused to report to the nearest police station monthly and fixed Nov 14 for the next mention date.
