KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — Two university students from China pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court today to staging a fake kidnapping to extort five million yuan (RM2.9 million) from one of their mothers earlier this month.
According to the New Straits Times, Zhang Runbao, 23, a student at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Ye Yingxi, 18, a student at the Singapore Institute of Management, entered their plea before Judge Azrul Darus.
The duo allegedly made a video call to Ye’s 40-year-old mother, Cheng Zhiwen, on May 2, during which they claimed her son had been kidnapped.
The video reportedly showed Ye bound, partially stripped, with his hands tied, mouth taped, and face drenched with water. The alleged kidnappers also claimed he had been strangled and stomped on.
Free Malaysia Today earlier reported that the incident took place at a hotel along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in the capital.
The two were charged with attempting to deceive Ye’s mother into paying the ransom under Section 511 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of one to 10 years and a possible fine, if convicted.
They also face an alternative charge under Section 417 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a maximum jail sentence of five years or a fine.
Judge Azrul granted bail of RM30,000 to each accused with two sureties and ordered both to surrender their passports.
The court fixed May 27 for case management.
Deputy public prosecutor Noor Syafina Radzuan led the prosecution, while lawyers Ernie Sulastri Ahmad and Ramesh Sivakumar represented Zhang and Ye.
* A previous edition of the story contained an error which has since been corrected.
