Three teens charged with attempting to kidnap young boy

JOHOR BARU: Three teenagers have been charged at the Magistrate’s Court here with kidnapping a seven-year-old boy earlier this month.

The accused – Jonathan Yet, 18, together with two underage accused aged 17 and 16 – pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to them in Mandarin in front of Magistrate R. Salini here yesterday.

According to the charge sheet, the trio kidnapped a seven-year-old boy from his lawful guardian.

The crime was allegedly committed at Jalan Serampang, Johor Baru, at 5.15pm on Dec 12.

The charge is framed under Section 363 of the Penal Code for kidnapping, which was read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.

It carries a term of up to seven years of imprisonment or a fine upon conviction.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Shamira Mohd Luthfi Ismail, while the trio was not represented.

Earlier, during the proceeding, Shamira requested bail be set at RM8,000 for each accused with one surety. The trio then requested a lower bail.

The court set bail at RM2,500 for each accused with one surety; the surety for the two underage accused must be their parents.

The court also set Jan 23 for the next mention and counsel appointment. The trio is also required to undergo a social and moral evaluation by the Welfare Department.

On Dec 20, Johor Baru South police chief Asst Comm Raub Selamat was reported as saying that three teenagers had been detained on suspicion of abetting an abduction attempt on a seven-year-old boy on Dec 12.

A Chinese national with permanent resident status in Singapore suffered serious injuries while trying to save his son from being kidnapped by a group of men.

The boy was not injured.

The main suspect, a 41-year-old who is believed to be the partner of the injured Chinese national, was detained in front of the Taman Pelangi police station at 8pm on the same day.