THE Kuala Lumpur High Court today jailed five men for life and ordered them to be whipped 10 times for kidnapping a money changer for ransom six years ago.

Judge Akhtar Tahir passed the sentence after the defence failed to raise a reasonable doubt in the case involving T. Shasitaran, 38, A. Ashokan, 39, Mohd Sultan Ahmad Kabir, 43, Ong San Chia, 37, and Yeoh Shyh Ming, 33.

The court ordered each of the accused to serve the prison sentence from the date of arrest – October 2 and 3, 2016 – at the Penang Prison. 

They were charged and put on trial in Penang, but the verdict was only delivered today after Akhtar was transferred from Penang to Kuala Lumpur.

In his ruling, Akhtar said there was evidence the victim was kidnapped in front of his house and all the accused had demanded a ransom of RM3 million.

He added that the court also found that all the defendants had lied when they testified in self-defence that the victim had falsely identified the kidnappers.

“The victim, who suffers from diabetes, only injured his thumb when his hands were handcuffed and the court ruled that no extreme violence had been inflicted on the victim,” he said.

They were charged with kidnapping Hawazanajmi K Shahapudeen with intention to seek a ransom of RM3 million by the roadside of Jalan Rumbia near Kristal Garden, Bayan Lepas at 10.30am on September 28, 2016.

They were charged under section 3(1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961, which carries a death sentence or life imprisonment or whipping. – Bernama, September 28, 2022.