Man who posed as cop gets 30 years, 10 strokes for kidnapping

 

The three-judge panel headed by Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim rejected the final appeal of Suhaimi Alias, stating they were satisfied it had no merit. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA: The Federal Court sentenced an unemployed man who posed as a police officer to 30 years’ imprisonment and 10 strokes of the rotan for kidnapping three Bangladeshi nationals for a RM50,000 ransom 10 years ago.

Malay-language daily Kosmo reported that the three-judge panel, headed by Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, meted out the sentence after setting aside a lifetime imprisonment sentence.

Abang Iskandar, who sat with Justice Hasnah Hashim and Justice Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, made the unanimous ruling after rejecting the final appeal of Suhaimi Alias, 47, stating they were satisfied it had no merit.

Suhaimi and two others were jointly charged with kidnapping Gholam Faruque, Mohamed Rafik and Sojib at a supermarket along Jalan Meru Klang at 4am, on March 16, 2014 for a ransom of RM50,000.

They were charged under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provides a mandatory death sentence or lifetime imprisonment and whipping.

Lawyers Juwayriyyah Hassan and Nur Amirah Zulkefli earlier argued that the prosecution had failed to prove the element of kidnapping required by Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961.

Juwayriyyah also argued that the ransom demand was not proven in the case.

However, deputy public prosecutors Afzainizam Abdul Aziz and Noorhisham Jaafar argued that the element of kidnapping was proven when the victims, who were the main witnesses, recognised the appellant as the person who kidnapped them.

The prosecution said the victims said the appellant had confined them in a hotel room before they were saved by police.

Afzainizam said that the Court of Appeal had also examined a statement that the RM50,000 ransom demand was genuine, with RM8,000 being paid by one of the victims’ children.

On July 13, 2023, the Court of Appeal maintained the High Court’s decision to sentence the accused to lifetime imprisonment and 10 strokes of the rotan. - FMT