BUTTERWORTH (Bernama): Three Myanmar nationals were charged in the Butterworth (Municipal) Magistrate's Court on Monday (Nov 1) with kidnapping a fellow countryman and demanding a ransom of RM3,000 last October.

       The accused who all work as contract labourers are Abdul Rahim Ali Husson, 38, Taher Ahmad Mustafa Ahmad, 42, and Mostaque Ahmed Rofiq Ahmed, 36.

       All the accused nodded that they understood after the charges against them were read out by an interpreter in Malay, before Magistrate Noor Farah Hazwani Osman.

       No plea was recorded from the three accused as the case was under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

       According to the charge sheet, all the accused, along with a man who is still at large, were found to have kidnapped a Myanmar man, Saddik Mohammad Jalil, with the intention of demanding a ransom of RM3,000.

       They were charged with committing the offence between Oct 21 at 8.10 pm until 8.25 pm on Oct 24 at a house in Kampung Masjid, Sungai Layar, in Sungai Petani district, Kedah.

       All the accused were charged under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961 (Act 365) read together with Section 34 of Penal Code which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment and if not sentenced to death is liable to be whipped upon conviction.

       The court set Dec 3 for mention of the case for a chemical report.

       The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurameera Shahrul Azrin while the three accused were not represented. - Bernama