KLANG: Two friends have claimed trial at the Sessions Court here to a charge of robbing a woman.
R. Sathiyaseelan, 32, and M. Balaraj, 34, denied that they robbed a 37-year-old woman at a parking lot on Jalan Kapar here at around 2am on Jan 8.
The victim, a clerk, had a mobile phone and RM110 in cash in her handbag.
Sathiyaseelan, a p-hailing rider, also denied that he had raped the victim at the same time and location.
He was charged under Section 376 (2) (a) of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to 30 years and caning if found guilty of rape.
For the robbery charge, both Sathiyaseelan and Balaraj face trial under Section 395 of the Penal Code, which carries up to 20 years' jail and caning upon conviction.
The charges were read to the accused in Tamil before judge Sharifah Hascindie Syed Omar on Tuesday (Jan 27).
The duo was also charged in a separate court before Magistrate A. Karthiyayini with impersonating police officers at the same location and time.
They claimed trial to the charge, which was framed under Section 170 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34.
If found guilty, they can be jailed up to two years, or fined, or both.
Lawyer K. Nathiya pleaded for a low bail amount, saying that both the accused had ailing mothers to support.
The court set bail at RM20,000 for Sathiyaseelan for all three charges against him, and RM10,000 for Balaraj, with one surety each.
They were also directed to report to the nearest police station once a month and not disturb the victim as well as prosecution witnesses.
All three cases were fixed for mention on March 5.
