A 25-year-old part-time Grab driver is set to be charged in court today after allegedly staging his own kidnapping in an attempt to extort RM30,000 from his parents to settle debts owed to loan sharks.
Lawyer Arun Ganesh Boopalan said the accused will face charges under Section 385 of the Penal Code for extortion and Section 417 for cheating.
He said an offence under Section 385 carries a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment, a fine, whipping, or any combination of two of those punishments upon conviction. Section 417 provides for up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
According to MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, the accused’s family endured nearly 24 hours of anxiety before police uncovered the alleged kidnapping plot.
Chong said the accused’s 58-year-old father, a mechanic, had previously paid off about RM40,000 owed by his son to around 45 loan sharks after debt collectors repeatedly turned up at the family’s home. Believing his son would turn over a new leaf, the father settled the debts, only to later discover that he had allegedly borrowed money from loan sharks again.
The accused was believed to have accumulated another RM40,000 in debts involving 23 loan sharks, Chong added.
The alleged kidnapping began on July 25, when the accused’s mother received a phone call from her son’s mobile phone. The caller, claiming to be a loan shark, demanded RM30,000 in exchange for his release.
The father later spoke to his son, who claimed he had been kidnapped and threatened with a knife. He subsequently lodged a police report at the Gombak Police Station before being referred to the Selayang Police Station later that evening.
While at the station, the alleged kidnappers repeatedly contacted the family using the victim’s phone. Following police advice, the father requested proof that his son was alive and was sent a photograph purportedly showing him inside the boot of a car.
The father continued negotiating with the callers until about 3am while police worked to trace his son’s location. The callers later threatened to “sell” his son if the ransom was not paid by noon on July 26.
However, at about 12.30pm that day, police informed the family that the accused had been found safe at a budget hotel in Kuang after officers tracked his mobile phone.
Investigations later revealed that the kidnapping had allegedly been staged after the accused failed to repay his latest loan shark debts. Police also believe he imitated a loan shark’s voice during the ransom calls, while the photograph showing him inside a car boot was allegedly a selfie based on its angle and composition.
According to Chong, the accused told investigators that loan sharks had taught him how to fake the kidnapping to pressure his family into paying off his debts.
The accused’s father said the family had decided not to appoint a lawyer for him and would allow the court to determine the outcome of the case.
