JOHOR BARU: Nine men were arrested in Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor respectively, for allegedly kidnapping a 30-year-old woman on May 16 and demanded a RM111,000 ransom.
Three of the suspects were charged today with kidnapping for ransom, while two others faced charges of extortion and fraudulently assisting in concealing the alleged crime.
The remaining four suspects were released on bond after they turned prosecution witnesses.
Police remained tight-lipped and declined to release further information on the case, despite five of the nine men were charged in the sessions court here and the Kulai magistrate court, today.
The suspects who were brought before the Johor Baru Sessions Court judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail, and the Kulai Magistrate Court judge Nurkhalida Farhana Abu Bakar, pleaded not guilty.
In a press statement released this evening, Johor Police Chief Commissioner M. Kumar said nine men aged between 24 and 48 were arrested after detectives from the state contingent and Bukit Aman conducted a series of raids on several undisclosed premises in the three states between May 23 and 25.
Police also seized an undisclosed amount of money, believed to be part of the alleged paid ransom.
He said the 30-year-old self-employed woman was allegedly kidnapped from her home in Kulai on May 16 by three men armed with parangs.
They allegedly demanded a ransom of RM111,000 from her family members for her release.
She was released at a bus stop in Skudai, here, on the same day after the ransom was allegedly paid.
It is undetermined if the woman was injured.
Police had earlier obtained a 14-day remand order on May 26, to keep the suspects in police custody until yesterday.
Kumar said all nine suspects had prior criminal and drug-related offences.
Six of them were tested meth-positive upon their arrest.
Yesterday, police submitted the investigation papers to the deputy public prosecutor's office in Johor.
The three suspects charged under Section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961, may face a maximum 30-year imprisonment term or a maximum 40-year-jail term with the possibility of whipping.
While the remaining suspects were charged under Section 383 of the Penal Code, for extortion and Section 424 for fraudulently assisting to conceal the alleged kidnapping.
