PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has upheld the life imprisonment sentence for a jobless man who kidnapped three Bangladeshis for ransom nine years ago. Justices Hanipah Farikullah, P. Ravinthran, and Nordin Hassan also affirmed the High Court’s ruling for Suhaimi Alias, 46, to receive 10 lashes.
The incident took place at a mini-market in Jalan Meru Klang, Selangor, at 4 am on March 16, 2014. Suhaimi, along with Raja Mohd Hafiz Raja Shuib and Myanmar national Nobi Hussein Abutar, were charged with abducting Md Gholam Faruque, Mohamed Rafik, and Sojib and demanding RM50,000 in ransom.
In a judgment dated July 7, Justice Ravinthran dismissed Suhaimi’s appeal, stating that there was no reason to intervene with the High Court’s decision. The judge emphasized that there was overwhelming evidence of the common intention shared by all the accused, including Suhaimi, to abduct the victims. According to Bernama, he said, “They had impersonated police officers to bring the victims to a hotel room. The victims were blindfolded and confined in the room. This is a criminal act.”
Raja Mohd Hafiz passed away during the trial, and the charges against him were dropped in 2017. Meanwhile, Suhaimi and Nobi Hussein were both convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, along with 10 lashes.
Justice Ravinthran justified the 10 lashes based on the nature of the crime, where Suhaimi and his accomplices targeted vulnerable individuals like foreign workers. He highlighted that they had impersonated police officers and subjected the victims to physical abuse. He mentioned that two of the victims were severely beaten and required immediate medical attention after their rescue. The judge concluded that interference with the High Court’s sentence was not warranted given the circumstances of the case.
Nobi Hussein’s appeal against his conviction and sentence is set to be heard on July 26.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
