Two salespeople, including a young single mother, appeared before the Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to face charges of cheating a woman through a non-existent investment scheme involving electrical goods. The accused, 32-year-old Muhammad Khairul Nizam Rahmat and 25-year-old Nadyah Rozlan, pleaded not guilty to the charges read before Magistrate Mohd Fauzan Mohd Suhairi. The alleged fraudulent activity took place in January, resulting in a significant financial loss for the victim.
According to the charge sheet presented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Nabilla Huda Jasmani, the duo, acting alongside two individuals still at large, dishonestly induced a 58-year-old woman to hand over RM23,000. It was established that the victim would not have surrendered the funds if she had not been deceived by the false investment offer. The offence was reportedly committed at a pawnshop located along Jalan Bukit Ubi on 13 January.
The charges were framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which addresses cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property. If convicted, the accused face a mandatory prison sentence of no less than one year and no more than 10 years, along with whipping and a fine. Following their plea of innocence, the prosecution initially proposed a bail amount of RM10,000 each with one surety.
Defence counsel Ahmad Syamsul Akmar Yusof, representing the pair from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK), appealed for a lower bail amount. He cited several mitigating factors, including:
- Both accused earn a modest monthly income of approximately RM1,500.
- Muhammad Khairul Nizam is the sole provider for his elderly mother.
- Nadyah Rozlan is a single mother supporting a school-aged child and an ailing father.
- Both individuals have cooperated with the authorities since the commencement of the investigation.
After considering the financial backgrounds and family obligations of the accused, Magistrate Mohd Fauzan set bail at RM5,000 each with one surety. The court has scheduled 4 April for the mention of the case. This incident adds to a growing number of investment scams reported in the region, with authorities recently highlighting losses totalling millions of ringgit due to similar fraudulent schemes and phone scams.
