Two Foreign Students Plead Not Guilty To Staged Kidnapping For RM2.9 Million Ransom
KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 (Bernama) -- Two students from a Singapore university pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court today to staging a fake kidnapping to trick one of their mothers into paying a RM2.9 million ransom.
Zhang Runbao, 23, and Ye Yingxi, 18, both Chinese nationals, were jointly charged with attempting to deceive Ye's mother, Cheng Zhiwen, by making a phone call and sharing a video purporting to show Ye being abducted.
In the video, Ye appeared half-naked, with his hands tied, mouth sealed with black duct tape, neck being strangled, body stepped on, and his face splashed with water.
They are alleged to have demanded a ransom of five million Yuan (approximately RM2.9 million) to be transferred into a bank account in China. The acts were allegedly staged with the intention of dishonestly inducing Cheng to remit the money.
The offence was allegedly committed at a hotel on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman here, between 11.44 am and 9.15 pm on May 2.
The charge was framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code, read together with Sections 511 and 34, which provides a jail term of up to 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
Both men also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge for the same offence under Section 417 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, which carries a jail term of up to five years, or a fine, or both.
Judge Azrul Darus set May 27 for case mention and granted each accused bail of RM30,000 with two sureties. The court also ordered both to surrender their passports until the disposal of the case.
Deputy public prosecutor Noor Syafina Radzuan appeared for the prosecution, while the two accused were represented by lawyers Ernie Sulastri Ahmad and Ramesh Sivakumar.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysian Reserve
36 minutes ago
- Malaysian Reserve
RM8m CBT trial of Vivy Yusof, husband to begin on April 13, 2026
KUALA LUMPUR — The Sessions Court today set 15 days of trial next year beginning April 13, for the case involving FashionValet Sdn Bhd founders Datin Vivy Sofinas, known as Vivy and her husband Datuk Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, who are facing charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM8 million in investment funds from Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah) and Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). Judge Rosli Ahmad set the trial dates for April 13 to 17, May 18 to 22, and June 8 to 12, 2026. 'The trial will run for 15 days, and the court has set the next case mention for Oct 27,' said Rosli. Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin requested the court fix the trial dates agreed upon by both the prosecution and defence. Lawyer M. Athimulan is representing the couple. Wan Shaharuddin told the court that the prosecution will call 26 witnesses to testify. The accused, both 37, were not present in court today as their attendance had been exempted. On Dec 5 last year, Vivy and Fadzarudin pleaded not guilty to a charge of committing CBT in their capacity as directors of FashionValet Sdn Bhd. They were accused of misappropriating investment funds entrusted to them by Khazanah and PNB by transferring RM8 million from FashionValet Sdn Bhd's company account to 30 Maple Sdn Bhd without the approval of FashionValet's board of directors. The offence was allegedly committed at Public Bank Berhad, Bukit Damansara Branch, 36-40 Medan Setia 2, Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara, here, on Aug 21, 2018. The charge, framed under Section 409 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, provides for a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum of 20 years in jail, whipping, and a fine upon conviction. They also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of jointly and dishonestly misusing company property, namely, RM8 million in investment funds from Khazanah and PNB belonging to FashionValet Sdn Bhd under Section 403 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which provides for an imprisonment of between six months and five years, along with caning and a fine upon conviction. — BERNAMA
Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
RM8 Mln CBT Trial Of Vivy Yusof, Husband To Begin On April 13, 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (Bernama) -- The Sessions Court today set 15 days of trial next year beginning April 13, for the case involving FashionValet Sdn Bhd founders Datin Vivy Sofinas, known as Vivy and her husband Datuk Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, who are facing charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM8 million in investment funds from Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah) and Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). Judge Rosli Ahmad set the trial dates for April 13 to 17, May 18 to 22, and June 8 to 12, 2026. 'The trial will run for 15 days, and the court has set the next case mention for Oct 27,' said Rosli. Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin requested the court fix the trial dates agreed upon by both the prosecution and defence. Lawyer M. Athimulan is representing the couple. Wan Shaharuddin told the court that the prosecution will call 26 witnesses to testify. The accused, both 37, were not present in court today as their attendance had been exempted. On Dec 5 last year, Vivy and Fadzarudin pleaded not guilty to a charge of committing CBT in their capacity as directors of FashionValet Sdn Bhd. They were accused of misappropriating investment funds entrusted to them by Khazanah and PNB by transferring RM8 million from FashionValet Sdn Bhd's company account to 30 Maple Sdn Bhd without the approval of FashionValet's board of directors. The offence was allegedly committed at Public Bank Berhad, Bukit Damansara Branch, 36-40 Medan Setia 2, Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara, here, on Aug 21, 2018. The charge, framed under Section 409 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, provides for a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum of 20 years in jail, whipping, and a fine upon conviction.
Borneo Post
an hour ago
- Borneo Post
Sibu cops recapture suspect who fled custody in handcuffs
The suspect was arrested at Jalan Terap today. SIBU (June 23): The 25-year-old Indonesian suspect who escaped from police custody at Sibu Central police station has been arrested. Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the suspect was apprehended at around 12.26am at Jalan Terap here today, following a tip-off from members of the public. 'He was still wearing handcuffs and purple lock-up attire when arrested. 'We thank the public for their cooperation, which led to his arrest,' he said in a statement. According to Zulkipli, the suspect will be remanded, and the case is being investigated under Section 223/224 of the Penal Code, which provides for up to two years' imprisonment or a fine or both. He also urged the public not to speculate on the incident. In a statement yesterday, Zulkipli said the suspect, named Bunia, had been remanded for investigation under Section 376 (3) of the Penal Code Act for rape. He escaped from Sibu Central police station here at around 4pm last Saturday. arrested escaped from custody Indonesian Sibu Central police station
