Four men pleaded not guilty to charges of extortion and inducing fear to gain money, including impersonating police officers, at a magistrate's court in George Town, Penang on Wednesday (April 9).
00:00Four men pleaded not guilty in the magistrate's court in Georgetown on Thursday to charges of extortion and impersonating police officers in a case involving 18,000 ringgit in cash.
00:1336-year-old P. Viren, 22-year-old S. Rohan Raj, 21-year-old L. Yuvarajan and 22-year-old S. Siva were jointly charged with extorting money from 55-year-old S. Prabhakaran by inducing fear of police arrest.
00:30According to the charge sheet, the alleged offence occurred at an apartment in Jalan Helang, Gelugor, at around 12.30 a.m. on March 21, 2025.
00:42The accused are said to have threatened the victim with arrest, leading him to surrender 18,000 ringgit in cash.
00:49The charge falls under Section 384 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, which provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine or whipping or any combination of these upon conviction.
01:03Magistrate Mohamed Azlan Basri granted each accused bail of 7,000 ringgit with one surety and ordered them to refrain from contacting the victim or witnesses.
01:15The case is set for mention on April 28.
01:17In a separate magistrate's court, Viren and Rohan were also charged with impersonating police officers at the same location and time.
01:26Both pleaded not guilty when the charge was read before Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohamed Saidi.
01:30The charge under Section 170 of the Penal Code carries a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment, a fine or both.
01:40Additionally, Rohan was charged with possessing a fake plastic pistol, an offence under Section 36 of the Arms Act 1960, which carries a maximum sentence of one year's imprisonment, a fine not exceeding 5,000 ringgit or both.
01:56Nadratun set bail at 6,000 ringgit for each of the three charges, with one surety each and fixed May 22 for case mention.
Be the first to comment