KUCHING: A man was fined RM5,000, in default 12 months’ imprisonment, by the Magistrates’ Court here on Monday (May 18) for dishonestly retaining stolen property involving RM1,000 linked to an online scam.
Magistrate Leona Dominic Mojiliu meted out the sentence on Muhammad Shafik Salmi Suhairi, 26, after he pleaded guilty to the charge under Section 411 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to five years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
The court heard that the offence took place on Oct 14, 2022, at about 5.05pm at a bank in Satok here, where the accused was found to have dishonestly retained RM1,000 in his bank account, having reason to believe that it was stolen property.
Based on the facts of the case, the complainant was deceived after being lured by an online scam offering a large sum of money in United States dollars for a family member.
The complainant was approached via social media by an unknown individual who claimed to be based in London.
The complainant was then instructed to make a payment as part of the supposed processing fee, resulting in a single transaction of RM1,000 being deposited into the accused’s Bank Simpanan Nasional account.
However, the promised funds never materialised, prompting the complainant to realise the deception and lodge a police report in March 2025.
Investigations revealed that the accused was the holder of the bank account into which the money was transferred, and that the account had allegedly been used by third parties in connection with the fraudulent scheme.
The accused was subsequently arrested in April 2026 following investigations by the Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Fauzulutfi Suriani appeared for the prosecution. Muhammad Shafik was unrepresented.
