Tourists are often warned to be wary of scammers and robbers, but what about when the criminals are cops?
Two Malaysian policemen were charged in the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court today for allegedly robbing a female Indonesian tourist. The two officers, TS Praveen and Muhammad Safri Idris, both 31-year-olds holding the rank of lance corporal, pleaded not guilty.
The two stand accused of robbing a 42-year-old Indonesian woman, identified as Anisa, at the Plaza Mahkota Hotel in Melaka Tengah on the night of April 3. They allegedly stole RM1,800 ($410) worth of goods from her including a bank ATM card and her Indonesian passport.
They’ve been charged under Section 395 of the Penal Code for gang robbery and Section 12(1)(1) of the Passports Act 1966 for unauthorized possession of a passport. If found guilty of robbery, they could face up to 20 years behind bars and corporal punishment by whipping.
The deputy public prosecutor, N Sivashangari, asked for bail to be set at RM15,000 each as well as an order to prevent them from disturbing the victim, who is a witness for the prosecution.
However, the accused, represented by Lawyer Andrew Lourdes, appealed for the bail to be set low in consideration of his clients’ service record as police officers, among other mitigating factors.
The judge in the case allowed bail to be set at RM9,000 on the condition that the accused report to their nearest police station once a month until the case is resolved.
The date of the case’s next court hearing has been set for May 23.
