KUCHING: The Magistrate’s Court here sentenced a 30-year-old man to 24 months in prison and one stroke of the cane for cheating a man in a non-existent adoption arrangement.
Muhammad Azamuddin Abdullah from Raub, Pahang, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali to the charge read by a court interpreter.
He was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code for dishonestly inducing a 46-year-old victim to transfer RM400 into his personal bank account on the pretext of handling documentation for an adoption process that did not exist.
Upon conviction, the section provides for imprisonment of not less than one year, with whipping, and a fine.
The offence was committed at the premises along Kuching-Samarahan Expressway around 6:46 pm on August 28, 2024.
According to the case facts, the victim had transferred RM400 from his account into Azamuddin’s personal account.
The transaction was made after he convinced the victim that he could handle all paperwork related to the adoption process for him and his wife.
However, investigations found that no such adoption arrangement for a child existed.
The victim later lodged a police report for further actions.
During the proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Chuah Kai Sheng urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence as the offence was premeditated and that public interest must be taken into account.
Azamuddin was unrepresented by counsel.
